


Healing Touch

by shes_x_electric



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adult Content, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Boys Kissing, Dreams and Nightmares, Dry Humping, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Jeith (implied), Jeith (past), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation, Pining Keith (Voltron), Post Season 8, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Spoilers, VLD spoilers, klance, klangst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-09-22 16:10:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17062850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shes_x_electric/pseuds/shes_x_electric
Summary: A story about loss, love, and second chances.Voltron is gone. The Paladins have moved onto living their own lives. But Keith needs a vacation and Lance needs to heal.****SEASON 8 SPOILERS****I know a lot of us are hurting after season 8. I personally liked (most of) it, but that being said: they can pry Klance out of my cold, dead hands. Plus, open ending ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) so this is my interpretation of what happened after...Stay strong, everyone!!I'll tag as I go.





	1. After All These Years

_I cannot guess what we'll discover_

  
_When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels_

  
_But I know our filthy hands can wash one another's_

  
_And not one speck will remain_

  
_I do believe it's true_

  
_That there are roads left in both of our shoes..._

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Ten years had passed since the end of the war.

 

Ten years since the paladins split up to fulfill their own destinies after Voltron.

 

The lions had left, soaring off into space to take their place amongst the cosmos.

 

There had been amazing advancements in technology, ancient and new, alien and domestic alike, combined and utilized towards building a prosperous and peaceful future for all.

 

Keith helped turn the Blade of Marmora into a humanitarian relief organization and had personally been involved with and oversaw much of the recovery efforts around the universe. It was certainly a change from life as an intergalactic soldier, and a lot of hard work, but witnessing the rebirth of many civilizations, and being able to be part of it, was incredibly rewarding.

 

But Keith had been “all-work-and-no-play” for years now.  And frankly, he was tired.

 

He was currently aboard a civilian passenger ship flying to the Galaxy Garrison. The trip would have been faster if he had just taken his own ship or requested a private flight from the Garrison, but Keith wanted time to reflect and possibly sleep. His most recent work had put him back on Earth in the Southern Hemisphere for a few months. With the completion of a project, Keith decided to take some time for himself. Even Krolia and Kolivan encouraged him to take a break.

 

“Keith, I love you very much and I’m so incredibly proud of the man you have become. Truly. I couldn’t be prouder. But if you don’t take a damn vacation and go and enjoy your life, I will knock you out and ship you off to a tropical island planet in a wooden box myself,” Krolia had said.

 

Keith had protested at first, of course - he didn’t want to abandon his work. But she insisted, assuring him she would arrange for all Marmora activities to be taken care of and not to worry. He was grateful to her for that. Despite being disconnected for so many years, he had developed a close relationship with his mother.

 

So here he was, about to land at the Galaxy Garrison after all this time.

 

Besides meeting for the annual celebration of Allura on New Altea, Keith and the other paladins had kept in regular contact. They exchanged messages and pictures at least weekly, and occasionally did group video chats. They had sworn to each other they would always keep in touch. They were family, after all.

 

Shiro and Pidge were still involved with the Garrison and lived in close proximity to one another around the grounds.

 

Hunk had a house on Earth, but he had become more scarce in the past few years. Managing the greatest culinary empire in the universe required quite a bit of travel for him, but he always made the effort to be home for the holidays. He and his team would prepare great feasts for everyone.

 

Lance lived a quieter life on a small farm with his family. He visited the Garrison throughout each year, often assisting Mrs. Holt with the maintenance and cultivation of the gardens and greenhouses on the grounds, or teaching agriculture to the students. The discipline was needed more than ever, since so much farmable land had been decimated in the war. Charismatic and motivational as ever, Lance had made a good portion of the student population interested and engaged in it, and as a result, the Garrison grounds were blooming with life.

 

Keith was, admittedly, the most absent of them all. Since the end of the war, he had only returned to the Garrison a handful of times and only for a few days at most. He regretfully had to cancel quite a few planned trips, earning the reputation of being the group flake. He knew his friends understood, but that never stopped them from throwing friendly gibes his way. Keith always felt guilty for his absence.

 

But this time, he planned to stay a while.

 

Walking off the landing strip with only a duffel bag on his shoulder, he recognized a familiar face.

 

“Keith!” Shiro called, waving his glowing prosthetic arm above his head.

 

Keith picked up his walking pace as a huge smile lit up his face. The two collided in a warm hug, Shiro heartily patting his back.

 

“It’s so good to see you!” Shiro said sincerely, pulling back from the hug.

 

 

Keith adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder. “It’s good to be back. Thanks for coming out to meet me.”

 

Shiro nodded, “Of course. How was the trip?” he asked as they started walking up to the Garrison doors.

 

“Fine. Got a little shut eye in. I think I needed the sleep.”

 

“Yeah, you’ve been driving Krolia nuts with how much you’ve been working.”

 

Keith grinned sheepishly, “Heh, yeah, she’s been insisting I take a vacation for a while now, but I think she reached her threshold because she threatened to ship me away if I didn’t take a break.”

 

They shared a laugh.

 

“Everyone is so excited to see you. We didn’t believe you’d actually take a vacation until you confirmed you were on the flight,” Shiro teased, “And even then, we were skeptical.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Guess I just wanted to keep you all on your toes. See if you still got it,” he snickered.

 

After walking some through the Garrison halls, Shiro cleared his throat.

 

“So, Keith… Lance is here.”

 

Keith stopped in his tracks. Lance wasn’t supposed to be here for another week.

 

“Oh. He is?” Keith asked.

 

Shiro nodded. “Yeah, we were surprised, too. He came this morning unannounced.”

 

Keith wasn’t mentally prepared to see Lance yet. There was a long pause.

 

“Keith?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Maybe you should… reconnect with him personally during your vacation. Finally tell him how you’ve felt for all these years.”

 

Keith didn’t mean to be dismissive, but he couldn’t hold back a scoff.

 

“Shiro, I can’t just show up and start dredging up the past. Especially with all that he’s been through. I let it go a long time ago. When I saw him with Allura... That was his dream girl. I could never interfere with that.”

 

“You wouldn’t be interfering with anything, Keith. The truth is… we’re worried about him. His mother, his sister… they contacted me. They said he’s been isolating himself more and more, falling into depression… And we’ve noticed a change in him around here, too. It’s not healthy. We all miss Allura very much but Lance needs to move on and allow new love into his life. He can’t continue on like this. I think you could be the one to lift him out of it, though. Lance trusts and respects you. You two bring out the best in each other. And considering how you feel... I think this would be a good opportunity for both you and him to find happiness. Allura would have wanted it for him. His family wants it for him. And well, I want that for you.”

 

Keith was silent, folding his arms in response. He was closing himself off.

 

Shiro knew what that meant and sighed. “Well. Just remember - you’re still young and it’s never too late.”

 

It was true: Keith was in love with Lance and had been for a long time.

 

He kept it a secret up until a few years after the war. Eventually, it started to tear him up inside and he HAD to talk to someone. Keith missed Lance terribly, and despite keeping busy with plenty of work to do and barely a moment of relaxation, Lance never left his mind.

 

Shiro listened to Keith pour his heart out about the boy from Cuba through a tearful voice call - spilling everything from their bonding moment, the real reason why Keith had left Voltron, why he chose Lance on Garfle Warfle Snick, and how it felt to watch him fall in love with someone else.

 

Keith may have eventually confessed to Lance once upon a time, but there was never a right time to bring it up. They were at war, and once Lance confided in Keith that he had a date with Allura, he knew he had to start letting go.

 

“Listen, if she’s going out with you, it’s because she likes you.”

 

_You are perfect the way you are._

 

“The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.”

 

_The person I fell in love with._

 

“That’s why we’ve got to end this war. And we’re going to do it with the Lance that’s the Paladin of the Red Lion.”

 

_You are incredibly important._

 

“The Lance that’s always got my back.”

 

_You are my stability._

 

“And the Lance that knows exactly who he is and what he’s got to offer.”

 

_Never change. It takes someone truly special to be worthy of your love._

 

Then, Lance and Allura were in a relationship. A short period of time later, Allura sacrificed herself to save all of existence. In her last moments, she had transferred her essence into Lance and left him with Altean markings while confessing her eternal love. Lance had pledged his life to spreading her message after she was gone.

 

But try as he may, Keith’s feelings never faltered.

 

Since the first confession to Shiro, Lance would occasionally come up in subsequent conversations. Mostly because Shiro would fill Keith in on what Lance was doing around the Garrison when he visited. Lance had actually asked about Keith quite a bit, which Keith was surprised (but secretly elated) to hear.

 

And Shiro, being the forthright, virtuous romantic he was, would advise Keith to reach out to Lance and talk to him. Keith and Lance had a few private conversations, but they dropped off after some time. That was probably Keith’s fault. He used the excuse to Shiro that he wouldn’t want to confess to Lance in any other way than in person. Which was true - but Keith had also resigned himself to never confessing to Lance.

 

Shiro and Keith continued walking until they reached the Botany Lab.

 

Keith heard a squeal and before he knew it, Pidge had ran and jumped onto Keith in a hug. Keith faltered back a bit with a soft “oof” but held her tight.

 

“Jeez Pidge, just knock me over why don’t ya,” Keith said with a laugh.

 

Pidge released the hug and dropped back to her feet.

 

“What, little old me? I just had to make sure you weren’t a hologram.”

 

Keith snorted.

 

“But seriously, I’m excited you’re here!” Pidge chirped.

 

“Keith,” a voice said from behind Pidge.

 

Keith looked up.

 

“ _Lance_ ,” Keith breathed.


	2. An Old Flame

“ _Lance_ ,” Keith breathed.

 

He stood frozen for a moment until Shiro gently nudged him forward from behind.

 

“Hey, man,” Lance said with a lopsided grin as he approached closer.

 

“Hey,” Keith said as he extended his hand for a shake. Lance rolled his eyes, taking his hand but pulled him in for a hug.

 

“Really? After your highly anticipated, glorious return to the Garrison, you thought it was acceptable to only offer a handshake? Silly mullet. Although I guess now I have to call you ‘ponytail.’” Lance chuckled.

 

Keith’s heart was beating fast. Lance’s breath was warm against his ear and a chill went up his spine. He managed an awkward laugh and wrapped his arms around Lance’s shoulders. Lance was still tall and lean, but his body was now hard with muscle from working on the land. Keith had to frantically push the question out of his mind of how Lance’s bare shoulders would feel under his fingertips.  

 

“Heh, guess you do,” Keith smirked.

 

They separated from the hug.  

 

“Good to have you back, man.” Lance said with a clap on Keith’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah,” Keith replied. He didn’t mean to sound so lame, but he was studying Lance’s face. Lance was smiling, but it didn’t go up to his eyes, under which Keith could see the tinge of dark circles forming. His eyelids were droopy, eyebrows slightly pulled together. He looked worn down.

 

Lance backed up a step and folded his arms, jutting his hip to the side.

 

“We were thinking about starting a betting pool on how long you’d actually stick around this time,” Lance jabbed playfully.

 

“Alright, from now on, for every joke any of you make about me being a flake, you're putting a dollar in a jar.” Keith declared. “And Lance, it would give me great pleasure to witness you lose that bet so I hope you plan to put your money where your mouth is.”

 

“Ohoho, don’t you worry, ponytail. My mouth will absolutely deliver,” Lance fired back.

 

“I want your _money_ to be delivered-”

 

“Keith and Lance bickering… just like old times,” Shiro interrupted, stepping forward. “Pidge, tell Keith what your group has been working on.”

 

“Oooh, Keith, it’s so cool!”

 

Pidge chatted excitedly about the development and breeding of new hybrid plants to continue to combat universal hunger and the drought of resources for textiles. Keith didn’t quite understand the science of it all, but he could see with his own eyes what amazing life they had created.

 

“This is a modified Hemp plant. It grows three times as fast, and has twice the yield! It’s also pest resistant and can survive off very little water. It can be used to make paper, cloth, insulation, biodegradable plastic, biofuel… it’ll be a total game changer once we breed more,” she spoke, radiating with pride. “And Lance made a lot of this possible, too. He’s been providing practical input and it’s been really helpful! He has the gift of a green thumb.”

 

“Ahem, _thumbs_ ,” Lance said, pointing at Pidge with finger guns, wiggling his thumbs.

 

Keith looked at Lance with a fond smile. He knew Lance wasn’t entirely himself right now, but he was glad to catch the small glimpses of it through his tired features.

 

Brilliance was expected from Pidge, and Lance never ceased to amaze him. Keith was so proud of his friends.

 

“ _Tengo sed,_ I’m gonna go grab some water. I’m heading to the lounge. I’ll catch you guys around. Don’t be a stranger, Keith.”

 

Lance brushed past the group.

 

“Dollar in the jar!” Keith called after him. Lance just waved a nonchalant arm in response.

 

“Alright Pidge, we’re gonna go get Keith settled in his quarters. Not like he has much to settle with anyway,” Shiro said, eyeing Keith’s single duffle bag. “We’ll see you at dinner tonight?”

 

Pidge nodded. “Yeah. But I actually need to borrow Keith for a tick - can he catch up with you?”

 

“Oh. Uh, sure. Keith?” Shiro looked at him.

 

“Go ahead, I’ll meet you there in a few.”

 

Shiro nodded and walked out of the lab. Keith turned to Pidge, an inquisitive eyebrow raised. She met his eyes with a mischievous smirk.

 

“So. I couldn’t help but notice you paying particular attention to Lance…”

 

Keith’s blood ran cold.

 

“What?” 

 

“Dude. You were making straight up heart eyes at him. It was cute. And also weird. How is it possible that Lance, the _goofball_ of Voltron, made the Princess of Altea, daughter of King Alfor, the _creator_ of Voltron, AND Black Paladin Keith, the _leader_ of Voltron, fall in love with him?”

 

“Whoa, I’m not-” Keith started to say, but Pidge put her hand up to stop him.

 

“Keith. I know those looks. Those weren’t just ‘friendly fist bump to my bro’ looks. Those were the adoring heartfelt smitten kind. And buddy, you got it bad.”

 

Keith stared at her for a moment but he knew he couldn’t bullshit Pidge. He figured he might as well not even try. He let out an exasperated sigh. “Do you really think it’s weird?”

 

“Oh, it’s totally weird, but also kinda sweet,” she said with a reassuring smile. “And now that I think about it, it does make sense. You always seemed to have a soft spot for Lance, and you really helped him come into his own. Once he ditched his whole made up rivalry thing, he was always confiding in you and following your lead. Lance really respects you. You guys worked well together. I see the potential there.”

 

Keith’s face got warm. “Shiro’s the only other person who knows, Pidge. I’d like to keep it that way,” he said seriously.

 

“I might tease you a little bit, but you don’t have to worry about me saying anything. I would suggest you work on your body language though, because that’s _definitely_ telling.”

 

“Duly noted,” Keith said flatly.

 

“Anyway, I have to finish up some stuff here so, scram. Go get settled. I’ll see you later at dinner.”

 

“Alright. See you later.”

 

Keith turned to leave but paused in the doorway.

 

“Hey, Pidge?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Why did Lance see me as a rival, anyway?”

 

“That, I’m actually not sure of, although I have a theory. After you find out from Lance himself, let me know.” she winked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write. I love my disaster sons. 
> 
> (I know nothing about plant genetics, just what I have read online, so if anything I wrote is inaccurate or doesn't make sense, science people, let me know!)


	3. In Good Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments! It's extremely encouraging and I appreciate it very much!
> 
> This chapter is a little longer than previous ones, but I wanted to explore Keith's head and heart a little bit, and the paladins' friendship.
> 
> Bad puns warning :B

Keith met up with Shiro at one of the dorm rooms prepared for him in the administration wing. It was a small room with a typical Garrison backdrop of metal and orange accented walls. It had minimal furnishings - drawers and shelves built into the walls, and an alcove with a bed. There was also a private bathroom. 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at the house?” Shiro offered. He and Curtis had a house about 30 minutes south of the Garrison. 

 

Keith actually found comfort in the room. It may have appeared rigid and bereft of charm, but he liked the simplicity. It was definitely nicer than many of the places Keith had stayed throughout the universe. It was shelter that was clean and orderly. What more could he ask for?

 

“Shiro, this is fine. Please enjoy your home with your husband. Besides, what if I want to run away in the middle of the night? Wouldn’t want to worry you guys,” Keith answered with a smirk.

 

Shiro chuckled, “Sounds like you have to put your own dollar in the jar. Alright well, the guest bedroom is all set up if you change your mind.”

 

Keith stayed at their house before, and he knew Shiro really wanted him to stay this time, but he didn’t want to impose. He was only partially joking about running away in the middle of the night. Keith was never a good sleeper and it had gotten worse in the past few years. He was only able to get two to three hours of sleep at a time, and once awake, he was up. He had also been long time planning for a midnight desert cruise, just like he used to do before Voltron. Him on a hovercraft, racing across the landscape, diving into canyons and swerving around the edges of mesas. There was nothing like a desert sunrise or sunset, but he loved the darkness and solitude of the night. Maybe he would even camp out for a few nights. 

 

“Dinner’s at 7. It’ll be in the central conference room. Hunk wanted to call in and eat with us, even if he couldn’t be here in person,” Shiro spoke from the threshold of the door. 

 

“Okay,” Keith acknowledged, setting his bag down on the bed. He still had a free couple of hours. 

 

“I know I’ve already said this but… we’re all really glad you’re here, Keith.”

 

Keith looked at Shiro and matched his soft smile. 

 

“I’m happy to be here. I think… this will be good for me. And who better to spend my leisure time with than family?” 

 

Shiro nodded.

 

“See you at 7.”

 

Keith meant what he said. Accepting people into his life was one of his biggest challenges, and despite having separate lives and being apart from one another for long periods of time, he felt as deeply connected to the other paladins as ever. Home was where they were. The fighting had stopped and Keith’s life was far from peaceful. But peace is exactly what he planned to find on this vacation, and he wanted to do it with the people he was closest to. 

 

Once Shiro left, Keith decided the take a walk outside around the grounds. The sun was nearly set and the evening was clear and mild. Keith had his earbuds in and was listening to music from his smartphone, scrolling through various articles of local news. He figured now was as good of a time as any to catch up. He also logged into the Marmora network, checking up on activities there. He paced from one end of the grounds to the other, a pleasant burn creeping up his legs. Maybe he could tire himself out enough to sleep better later. 

 

Keith wandered into one of the gardens, the pathway illuminated by post lanterns lining the sides. He walked under a looming canopy of trees, gravel crunching under his feet. A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves above and brought about all the wonderful scents around him. He took in a deep breath. Floral, citrus, earthy… the air smelled so fresh. It was rejuvenating. Keith made a mental note to come back here during the day time to see the flora properly, but the night time made for its own enchanting display. A mist from the sprinkler system caught the soft blue glow of the lanterns as it rolled through, making the landscape appear almost otherworldly. It was eerie, but Keith liked it.  

 

Eventually, he found a bench along the edge of a circular clearing. He leaned back and looked up at the sky. Keith always loved the sky. He had been interested in space since he was a little kid. From an early age, his father had taken him camping out in the desert to stargaze. He taught him the constellations, about the planets and their moons, the sun and other stars, comets, galaxies, black holes… everything he knew on the subject of astronomy. His dad monitored all the celestial events and he and Keith had always enjoyed them together. Meteor showers were Keith’s favorite. 

 

Never would he have guessed that at the age of 18, he would be rocketed into space inside the cockpit of a giant robotic lion to fight in an intergalactic war against a genocidal alien despot. 

 

Keith had seen some amazing things in space. Some unbelievable, bizarre, wondrous, amazing things. But he still stared at the sky in awe, contemplating the immensity of it. Beyond this tiny speck of a planet lay trillions of other galaxies and realities, all intertwined, woven together to form the fabric of existence. 

 

The buzz of the phone in his pocket snapped Keith out of his thoughts. A message from Shiro popped up.

 

_ “Where are you?” _

 

Keith glanced at the time. 7:10. Shit.

 

_ “Sorry, took a walk. On my way.”  _

 

He hurriedly pushed off the bench and jogged his way back through the grounds to the administration wing.  

 

7:20 he arrived. Keith could hear the quiet murmur of conversation through the heavy conference room doors. He pushed one of the doors open and the conversation stopped. He looked up to see Shiro seated on the left side of the table, with Pidge and Lance seated across from him. The table was set with placemats and silverware for four, the remaining empty seat next to Shiro. Pidge’s laptop was situated at the head of the table. Shiro and Pidge waved in greeting.

 

“Well, well, well…” Lance piped from the table, “Nice of you to join us.”

 

“Dollar in the jar, Lance,” Keith said casually as he walked around the table and found his seat next to Shiro. 

 

Lance glared opposite of him.

 

“Sorry I’m late. I was walking around one of the gardens and… I guess I lost track of time.”

 

“No problem. Did you enjoy your walk?” Shiro asked.

 

“Yeah, I did,” Keith said with a serene smile.

 

“I’ll call Hunk now,” Pidge leaned over and tapped a few keys on her laptop. Hunk’s broad, jovial face filled the screen.

 

“Hey guys! I was starting to get worried something happened. Everything okay?” 

 

Hunk’s eyes met everyone one by one until finally reaching Keith.

 

“WHOA, is that actually Keith or is it a hologram?!” Hunk said, leaning forward in his seat with an exaggerated squint. 

 

“Pidge already made that joke. Repeat jokes cost an extra dollar to the jar,” Keith deadpanned, folding his arms.

 

Hunk blinked. “Wait, what? Why am I putting money into a jar? And what jar? Is this a metaphorical jar or a literal jar?” 

 

“Keith said for every joke we make at his expense for being a flake, we have to put a dollar in a jar. We don’t have a physical jar yet but knowing Keith, one will manifest soon,“ Pidge said with a shrug.

 

“If Keith cut his horrible ponytail off and went high and tight, he’d be a  _ jar _ head,” Lance cracked.

 

“Stop Lance, your jokes are truly  _ jarring _ ,” Pidge grinned.

 

“Yeah Lance,  _ jar  _ it!” Hunk chimed in. 

 

“Oh no, now I’m gonna need a jar for jar puns…” Keith buried his face into his hand, stifling a laugh. 

 

“Alright guys, I think we’ve  _ jarred  _ Keith enough for one night,” Shiro smirked, glancing at Keith.

 

“Shiro!” Keith’s jaw dropped in feigned offense. 

 

“Let’s find some dollar coins and make that Jar Jar Clink...s!” Lance blurted.

 

Keith groaned, but it turned into a laugh. The whole team joined in. 

 

“I’m glad to see you’re home though, Keith. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for your welcoming ceremony, but I plan to be there in two weeks for Christmas!” Hunk said.

 

Oh. Right. That was coming up. Keith hadn’t celebrated Christmas since he was a kid. After his dad died, it didn’t mean much to him. He barely paid attention to the date but would be reminded every year by the other paladins. The holiday was significant to them. 

 

Keith recalled the time he tried to explain Christmas to Krolia. 

 

_ “But why would Santa need reindeer to power his ship? Even the most basic, primitive Earth ships would provide more efficient travel. And surely more cargo space.” _

 

_ “I don’t know, Mom, it’s just how the story goes.” _

 

_ “And how does Santa have access to such a wide range and amount of resources to manufacture his merchandise? How did he acquire his work force? Has he enslaved the entire elven race?” _

 

_ “I uh-” _

 

_ “The scope of his surveillance on the human race is truly alarming. It sounds like the actions of a paranoid tyrant. And presenting children with a piece of an archaic energy source made of plant matter decay? Are there no bounds to his derangement?”  _

  
  


“Anyway, I’m starving! Let’s bring in the food, shall we?” Hunk announced.

 

As if on cue, the conference room doors opened and a few members of the kitchen staff entered with trays of food. They set platters and bowls in a row down the middle of the table, a rather sizable quantity of food prepared. 

 

“Your Garrison chefs have prepared for you tonight: A spring mix salad with pear, feta cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Fresh baked honey whole wheat bread. Roasted brussel sprouts with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. Grilled carrots with lemon and dill. Pan fried fingerling potatoes with fresh herbs and garlic. And the main feature, Filet mignon in a brandy mushroom cream sauce.” Hunk spoke from the monitor, his own meal of the same on a large tray to his side. He made it all sound so seductive. 

 

Everything smelled and looked incredible. Keith’s stomach growled in demand, and it suddenly hit him how hungry he was. 

 

“Bon appétit!”

 

Everyone helped themselves to each dish, the conversation lulling as they ate. 

 

One of the kitchen staff waitressing the dinner brought out bottles of red and white wine and set them on the table. Keith recognized her as one of Hunk’s pupils when he was in charge of the Garrison kitchen. She circled the table, refilling waters and pouring wine, and cleared used dishes as they came. Being attended to in such a way made Keith feel a little uncomfortable as he was fully capable of serving himself, but Shiro assured him to relax and enjoy.  

 

In between bites, the conversation continued, everyone sharing small tidbits of their lives from the mundane and trivial to the interesting and exciting. Keith was intrigued by all of it. He had a lot to catch up on. He absentmindedly nursed his wine, the ever-attentive waitress keeping it flowing. He listened intently to the others.

 

Maybe it was the wine getting to his head, but Keith started to feel sentimental. He looked around the table at each of his teammates. Everyone had grown and accomplished so much. A lump rose in his throat and he felt his eyes start to well up with moisture. 

 

Keith looked across the table and caught Lance’s gaze, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

 

“You okay?” he mouthed silently.

 

Keith nodded, glancing around to make sure no one else noticed. He met Lance’s eyes again with an attempted reassuring smile, but the look on Lance’s face made a single traitorous tear escape from his right eye. Keith quickly turned his head to the side to hide it, wiping it away. 

 

“Excuse me a moment,” Keith uttered, rising from his chair. He made for the doors, not sparing a look back. 

 

He pushed one of the doors open and stepped to the side to lean against the wall. He inhaled a deep breath, sliding down the wall as he exhaled until his bottom hit the floor. What was wrong with him? He ran his fingers through his hair, steadying his breathing. It _ had _ to be the wine. 

 

Keith’s eyes flicked to the side when he saw the movement of the door opening. Lance stepped out. He looked around before spotting Keith on the floor next to the door.

 

“Hey, man. What’s going on?”

 

“‘m fine,” Keith mumbled.

 

“No, you’re not,” Lance walked to Keith’s side, sliding down the wall to sit next to him. “Spill.”

 

Keith sighed, “I guess I just got… overwhelmed. Listening to you guys, I realized how much I missed out on. Everyone has done so much since Voltron and I wish I kept in better contact… and came to visit more often. But I really am so proud of and happy for you all.”  

 

“We know you are, man.” Lance placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder.

 

“I know it sounds silly.”

 

“Of course it doesn’t. Under that broody, tough exterior, we all know you’re a big softy deep down, even if you don’t realize it yourself,” Lance said with a pat to his shoulder. “But we also know you kick the most ass. Well. Maybe not more than Shiro. He might kick  _ slightly _ more ass than you.”

 

“I’ll kick  _ your _ ass,” Keith defied with a grin, no true threat in his voice. He gently bumped Lance with his shoulder.

 

Lance playfully pushed back. They both chuckled softly.

 

“There’s no shame in showing your emotions, ya know,” Lance said soberly.

 

Keith shifted in his spot, “Yeah. It’s just hard being… vulnerable.”

 

“Mm,” Lance nodded knowingly. “D’ya wanna get out of here?” he asked, signaling towards one of the exit doors with his head.

 

“Not yet… we should get back. But… maybe later?” Keith ventured.

 

“Sure.” 

 

Lance rose to his feet, outstretching a hand. Keith took it and Lance pulled him up with ease. 

 

Lance stepped in front of the door, pausing before pulling the handle, “You’re good?” he turned to Keith. 

 

“I’m good.”

 

Lance gave him one last soft smile before pulling the door open and heading back into the conference room, Keith following. They took their seats again, with mild questioning from the others at the table. Keith assured everyone he was fine, and they moved on from the subject.

 

“Alright, now that you guys are back, dessert!” Hunk said eagerly from the monitor. Again on perfect cue, the waitress entered the room carrying a large round tray. She set a plate of cake in front of each of them. 

 

“Chocolate cake, layered with chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate ganache, with raspberry sauce on the side. Dig in!”

 

So they did, hums of approval rising from each seat.

 

“Hunk, you have truly outdone yourself,” Lance said with a cheek full of cake, pointing his fork at the screen.

 

“Can you make a peanut butter one next time?” 

 

“Totally, Pidge!”

 

Shiro turned to the screen, “Hunk, this meal has been amazing. Thank you so much for arranging all of this. We wish you could have been here with us.”

 

“Yeah, Hunk. Stellar job!” Pidge gushed.  

 

“Everything was great, Hunk,” Keith gave a thumbs up.

 

Shiro plucked his water glass up, and raised it. Everyone else followed suit.

 

“To Hunk!” Shiro proclaimed.

 

“To Hunk!” everyone else said in unison. 

 

“Aw, thanks you guys,” Hunk blushed with watery eyes.

 

The table was cleared and the paladins continued light conversation before they said their goodnights. The screen went dark after Hunk disconnected, and Pidge collected her laptop from the table. 

 

“See you guys tomorrow,” she waved with her free hand, pushing through the door.  

 

Shiro stretched with a yawn, “Alright guys, I’m heading home. It’s past my bedtime.”

 

“It’s barely past 10,” Lance chided playfully.

 

“That’s what happens when you get old,” Shiro chucked.

 

The remaining three paladins exited the conference room. Shiro departed, leaving Keith and Lance to their own devices.

 

“Wanna go for a walk?” Lance proposed.

 

"Yeah, okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and cheers to a happy new year!


	4. A Friend In Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance catch up a bit.

Stepping outside onto the grounds with Lance, Keith felt a chill in the air. He pulled the hood of his black sweater up and slid his hands into the pockets. Side by side, they walked across the grounds, first making small talk about the weather and Keith’s flight in.

 

“How’s Krolia?” Lance asked.

 

“She’s fine. A hard ass as usual. She was the one who pushed me to take this vacation. She said I was worrying her with how much I was working. Although she’s not really one to talk. She’s a workaholic herself.”

 

“Well, you’re her son, she only wants what’s best for you. And Kosmo? I’m surprised he’s not with you.”

 

“Acxa asked to keep him around for a while to help with some supply delivery runs. He’ll probably show up eventually. He knows who his best friend is,” Keith smirked. “What about your family? How are they?”

 

“Mom and Dad have officially retired, but they do work around the farm. It keeps them busy and active, so it’s good for them. My siblings and I take care of the financial stuff. They’ll never have to worry about anything ever again. Our Christmas gift to them this year was flying them to Cuba for the winter to stay with family.”

 

“You have a lot of family in Cuba?”

 

“Oh, yeah. Loads of uncles and aunts and cousins from both sides. Good thing, too because this trip would have been insanely expensive if we had to pay for hotels,” Lance chuckled. “Rachel and Marco are there. Luis and Lisa went with the kids, too. Nadia and Sylvio will finally be able to meet their extended family. It’ll be good for all of them.”

 

“You didn’t want to go to Cuba for Christmas?”

 

“Honestly, I think it would be too chaotic for me… I love my family, but it can be _a lot._ Kinda wanted a more peaceful holiday. Veronica stayed, too. She’s at the farm now, but she comes and goes a lot so we’ll probably see her around.”

 

Lance paused for a moment, his voice lowering, “And well… I also figured this year was special, with you coming back and staying for the holiday and all. Hunk and Coran will be here, too. The team will be together. And we have time to just celebrate, relax and hang out. Like normal friends. I wanted to be here. You guys are family, too.”

 

Keith hummed in agreement, the dull vibration in his throat an attempt to mask the excitement bubbling beneath his skin. Lance wanted to be _here_ for Christmas (which was Lance’s favorite holiday), for _him._ Well, at least partially.

 

He looked ahead and noticed a familiar path. It was the garden.

 

“Oh. I walked through here earlier.”

 

They proceeded forward to be met with the crunch of gravel beneath their feet. The path was a little more narrow than the open grounds, and Keith’s arm was tingling with how close Lance was. It felt like electricity was drawing them together, because they kept bumping arms. Keith wondered how Lance’s hand would feel in his. The setting was _too_ romantic.

 

“It’s really nice here,” he was sincere in his thought, but it came out more lame than he intended.

 

“Yeah. Some of the students and I planted everything here.”

 

“Oh, yeah? What did you plant?” Keith would never tire of how Lance’s face lit up when talking about his interests. He liked listening to him.

 

“Orange and grapefruit trees, the beautiful purple flowering tree is the Jacaranda. The pink fluffy flowering one is the Persian Silk. There’s morning glories, birds of paradise, amaryllis, cosmos, zinnias, dwarf yellow and purple sunflowers… You gotta come through here in the day time. The colors are so vibrant. It’s a lot of work, but the irrigation system here is state of the art. We’ve been experimenting with different types of soil. But as you can see, the results speak for themselves.”

 

“Yeah, it’s really-” Keith’s words caught in his throat as he turned and looked at Lance. He was gazing out at the garden, his dreamy features illuminated in the soft blue light of the lanterns. His eyes seemed to glow and his Altean markings appeared even more prominent. He looked ethereal.

 

“...beautiful.”

 

Lance tilted his head towards Keith, hair falling in his eyes, mouth parted in a grin. “Thank you. I know I am.”

 

Keith gulped and heat rose to his cheeks. Was he that obvious? Or wait… was this just typical flirtatious Lance behavior? Wait, was Lance _flirting with him?_ He quickly looked away.

 

Lance’s laugh was laced with just a touch of mischief. The impish sound was both pleasant and unsettling.

 

“Jeez… I was just joking but hey, it’s okay, Keith. I’m gorgeous. Who could ever deny such an objective fact?”

 

Keith snorted. Alright, _now_ Lance was just being obnoxious. “Yeah, alright, pretty boy.”

 

“You don’t deny it?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Lance.”

 

“What?” he said innocently.

 

Keith fell silent, focusing on the landscape in front of him. “The garden is beautiful. You did a good job.”

 

Lance joined Keith in admiring the view, “I had a lot of help. The students did most of the grunt work. But yeah, we did a fine job.”

 

They reached the clearing with the bench and took a seat.

 

Keith flexed his arms back and balanced his elbows on the back of the bench, his forearms hanging forward.

 

“Still got these ol’ things, eh?” Lance reached up and gently tugged at the fingerless black leather glove donned on Keith’s dangling hand.

 

“You know it.”

 

“Some things never change,” Lance shrugged.

 

Keith hummed in response with a smirk. They both looked up to the sky.

 

“Do you miss it?” Keith asked.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Space.”

 

“Oh. I guess… yeah, sometimes. I’m digging the quiet life, though. I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one lifetime…”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

More silence.

 

“Keith. Do you… have nightmares?”  

 

Keith considered the question. He had wondered himself if the other paladins suffered the same. His nightmares had become less frequent as the years went on, but...

 

“Yeah. I do.”

 

“Me too. What’re yours like?”

 

“Sometimes I see Shiro on top of me, that murderous look in his eyes, his energy blade burning my face. The pain is so real. And when I wake up, my scar burns. Or being sucked into the Quantum Abyss… my body and soul being torn apart, stretched into nothingness. The threads of all realities being destroyed one by one, and the final blow is about to come down...”

 

“I’ve seen the threads of reality, too...” Lance chewed his bottom lip. “I have flashbacks of when I… died.”

 

A chill went up Keith’s spine. He turned towards Lance and stared at him.

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, when you were gone... we were aiding a Galra shield station which was protecting a planet below from radiation bands. They pledged to Lotor, so Sendak attacked the planet and the station, and we had to repair their shield. But, one of the plates was sparking and going to explode, and Allura was in the way and I just… I couldn’t let anything happen to her. I rammed her out of the way. But, I got caught in the explosion myself. I saw blinding blue light. I felt burning. Then cold. I remember screaming. Then everything went black and there was… nothing. Until Allura brought me back. I will never forget the look on her face when I opened my eyes. She was my guardian angel. She saved me. But… I still feel that darkness sometimes. I feel like I’m suffocating and trying to claw my way out, but there’s nothing to grasp onto and nothing I can do except just float... And just as I’m about to run out of air, I wake up.”

 

Keith sat rigid but underneath his skin, he was quaking.

 

“Shit… I had no idea. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why did no one talk about this? _Did_ anyone talk to you about this? Does your family know?” Keith’s voice cracked with distress, his eyes wide.  

 

“Whoa, slow down, Keith. Um. No. They don’t. I never told them. Allura brought it up a few times… but it was bad enough I was having nightmares about it. I didn’t want to relive it while I was awake, too. And I didn’t want to worry anybody… The war was still going on. We had bigger things to worry about.”

 

Keith took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, grasping the roots.

 

“Lance, I… fuck,” he breathed out. “I’m… so sorry. I should have been there. That wouldn’t have happened if I-”

 

“Keith. You had your own path to follow. There’s nothing you could have done.”

 

“But if I wouldn’t have left…”

 

“...Then, you wouldn’t have found your mother. You wouldn’t have found the Altean colony. You wouldn’t have gone on your journey of self discovery!”

 

Keith’s mouth twisted in umbrage, “What you said when we went… space mad…”

 

“I didn’t mean. You said things you didn’t mean, too. You know what it was like. I don’t blame you. And _you_ definitely shouldn’t blame yourself. We can’t change what happened.”

 

“Besides,” Lance reached up to the hand grasped in Keith’s hair and gently pulled on it until Keith released his hold. He brought the hand down in between his own to settle on Keith’s thigh.

 

“I’m here, aren’t I? It’ll take a lot more than a silly little electrical explosion to kill me off,” he nudged Keith with his elbow.

 

Keith couldn’t help the dopey smile that pulled at his lips, mirroring Lance. He looked down at the hands that held his. He wanted to kiss those lovely slender hands. And up those long arms, to the shoulder, neck and finally lips of the beautiful boy that sat before him.

 

Keith silently thanked whatever force existed in the universe that blessed Allura with the ability to give Lance a second chance.  

 

“You held onto what I said when we went space mad, huh? I didn’t think you’d take something I said to heart like that,” Lance pondered.

 

Keith snorted. “You have no idea…”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“You’re weird. You open up about some things, but completely shut down when it comes to others.”

 

“There are some things better left unsaid.”

 

“Always a man of mystery. Well, mystery man, I hope you don’t disappear before I get to hear those things.”

 

“Dollar in the jar,” Keith smirked. “You’re gonna go broke at this rate.”

 

Lance dropped Keith’s hand with an exasperated sigh to flail his arms, “You are _relentless._ ”

 

They shared a laugh.

 

After another comfortable lull, Keith noticed Lance hunch a little, dropping his gaze to the ground.

 

“So Keith… There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you, and it may seem kinda sudden but I’ve actually been thinking about it for some time. Since you plan to stay on Earth for a while… after New Year’s, would you like to come back to the farm with me? My family will be in Cuba until March, and I have a private cottage on the back of the property, away from the main house. You could stay there with me. And for however long you want. I mean, if you’d like to. If you don’t want to, I’d completely understand! Um. I’ve just been really lonely and could use a friend and I’ve always felt like I could talk to you. And you’ve always listened to me and helped me and-“

 

“Lance.”

 

Lance stopped.

 

“You’re rambling. And yes,” Keith said with an amused expression.

 

Lance positively beamed. A real, genuine smile. Keith swore he even saw his markings light up.

 

“O-oh. Haha... Thank you so much, Keith. This means a lot to me. You’ll love it there. It’s so peaceful and beautiful,” Lance said excitedly.

 

Keith kept his cool on the outside, but his insides were alight. Time alone with Lance. On a peaceful, beautiful... secluded farm. Even the butterflies in his stomach had jitters.

 

Lance pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and looked at the time. “Guess we should head back, it’s almost midnight. Wouldn’t want you to turn into a pumpkin.”

 

“What?”

 

“You know. From Cinderella. She had to return home by midnight or the magic spell would break and her ball gown would turn back to rags, the horses back to mice, and her carriage back into a pumpkin.”

 

“Are you calling me a princess?”

 

“Does the glass slipper fit?”

 

“You’re cheesy.”

 

“But you’re smiling.”

 

Keith immediately fixed his face into a frown. Lance burst out into laughter.

 

“Oh, man... I never remember you getting so flustered this easy! This is fun.”

 

Lance stood, ”C’mon, let’s go.”

 

They trekked back, Lance talking a little more about the farm. He described the rolling green landscape, a forest to one side of the large property, and a small lake on the other.

 

His parents had the main house, with five bedrooms in which Marco and Rachel had rooms. Luis and his wife had a house down their own private road. Veronica had a room at the main house, but she often stayed in Lance’s cottage.

 

“She’s a huge help. It’s been a… rough year.”

 

 _“...he’s been isolating himself more and more, falling into depression…”_  

 

Shiro’s words echoed in Keith’s mind, causing his heart to clench.

 

“Are you okay?” Keith ventured.

 

“I’m fine now. But like I said, I’ve been feeling pretty lonely. Even with Veronica around. I’ve been needing like… companionship, ya know? And she has her own life. So does everyone else. Being able to work out schedules becomes more difficult the older we get. It just bums me out. I know we have messaging and video chat, but it’s not the same as physically being with someone. I don’t want the team to drift apart…” Lance furrowed his brow.

 

“I don’t think we will. We’re connected to each other through ways beyond human understanding. We fought an intergalactic, interdimensional war together. We shared an amazing journey. I think our bond is too strong to just fall apart.”

 

Lance sighed, “I know. You’re right. I just miss you guys.”

 

“I understand,” Keith replied solemnly.

 

Lance scoffed, “Oh, yeah?”

 

“Don’t.”

 

“What!”

 

“You know what. But yes, of course I understand, you ass.”

 

“I know, _estúpido_. I’m just messing with you. I actually missed you a lot, too. It really means so much to me that you’ll be coming to the farm.”

 

The pair entered through a door in the back of the administration wing. They quietly walked down the hallway and stopped when they reached Keith’s door.

 

“Are you staying in one of these rooms, too?” Keith asked, standing in the doorway.

 

“Nah. Pidge has a… ‘lair’, so to speak, in the back of the Botany Lab. It _was_ an office but she rearranged some cubicle walls and put in furniture. She has a pull out couch I’m gonna crash on. It’s a chill spot. You should hang out with us some time there. We have movies, games, snacks, drinks, et cetera...”

 

“Alright.”

 

“See you around, space cowboy.”

  
  


Soon after he returned to the room, Keith’s body sunk into the mattress. Maybe all the walking really did tire him out. But something kept tugging at his quickly fading consciousness.

 

“ _I actually missed you a lot, too.”_

 

He took a deep breath.

 

“ _...missed you...”_

 

“ _Lance_ ,” he breathed out, succumbing to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on tumblr: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com 
> 
> I have a Lance drawing 
> 
> http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565370805/i-havent-drawn-in-a-long-time-but-i-got-some
> 
> And Keith lineart
> 
> http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565423375/keef-lineart-that-ill-finish-eventually
> 
> Happy New Year! Enjoy!


	5. Mission Commencing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who continue to give kudos and comments! 
> 
>  
> 
> Thought I'd give ya'll a little something-something......... enjoy ;3

Keith had been woken from a sound sleep when he felt a weight settle behind him. He kept still and his breathing even as his eyes fluttered open. The weight shifted, and Keith drew out his Marmora blade that had been hidden under the pillow, turning to face the intruder. A hand caught his wrist and he was staring up into the face of…

 

“Lance?”

 

Lance was sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning, “Hey.”

 

“Uh. Hey. What are you doing here? How did you-”

 

“I wanted to see you.”

 

Keith’s eyes dropped to Lance’s lips, then down his neck to see his bare shoulders and chest. They continued down, bare stomach, bare hips, bare…

 

“Lance, what’s going on?” his eyes flicked back to Lance’s face.

 

“I saw how you were looking at me tonight, Keith.”

 

He stayed silent but the soft hitch in his breath and wide eyes betrayed his disconcertion. Lance loosened his grip and slid his hand up from Keith’s wrist, coaxing the knife out of his hand. He released, and Lance leaned over to set it on the floor.

 

Lance turned back to him, “I want you. And I know you want me, too.”

 

Keith felt a pulse between his legs. They stared at each other for a moment, Keith’s face getting hot under Lance’s scorching gaze.

 

Lance leaned closer and ran a finger under Keith’s chin.

 

“Isn’t that right, flyboy?”

 

He swallowed and nodded stiffly.

 

A wicked grin split Lance’s lips open, and in an instant, he had ripped the covers off and climbed on top of Keith. He yelped in surprise, but it quickly turned into a groan as he felt Lance’s weight straddle across his already stiffening arousal. He instinctively placed both hands on the thighs on either side of his hips. They locked eyes, and Lance ground down, sliding his hips forward and back. Keith’s hands ventured further up to his hips. The thin fabric of his boxers was the only thing between him and Lance’s bare haunches. He squeezed his eyes shut as the grinding in his lap brought him to full attention.

 

“Lance, w-wait...” Keith stuttered. Everything was moving too fast. He didn’t want things to happen like this.

 

Lance slowed, languidly rolling his hips, “What’s wrong, Keith? Doesn’t this feel good?”

 

Keith bit his bottom lip and nodded.

 

“Why won’t you look at me?”

 

“I want to, ah- I wanted to... take things slow…” he said between breathy sighs, his straining length throbbing beneath Lance’s movements.  

 

“Keith.”

 

“…”

 

“Look at me.”

 

A crack of what sounded like thunder filled the room and Lance was screaming. Keith’s eyes snapped open to a blinding light. He squinted, but could see Lance’s silhouette, back sharply arched and limbs twisted. The light faded and he collapsed forward on top of Keith, the air knocked out of his lungs from the impact.

 

“Lance?!” he choked out.

 

His hands went to Lance’s shoulders, shaking him. Steam appeared to rise from Lance’s back. He felt around cautiously until his fingers were met with boiling, sticky skin. He grimaced and slid his hands to the front of Lance’s shoulders and pushed him up.

 

“Lance!” he shook him frantically, “Lance, wake up!”

 

No movement. No words. No breathing.

  


_“Wake up!”_   

 

 

The desperate plea startled Keith awake, the echo of his own voice still resounding in the room. His eyes darted around as he pushed up into a sitting position. He checked his phone from next to his pillow. 4:12am. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. His forehead was clammy, and his heart was pounding. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hunched forward, trying to steady his breathing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something on the floor. It was his Marmora blade.

 

“What the hell…”

 

He pushed off the bed and entered the bathroom to splash cool water on his face. Cupping his hands to catch the water, he drank a little to sooth the dryness in his throat. He considered himself in the mirror. The eyes that reflected back at him looked strained and there were worried creases in the corners. The dream had shaken him and it showed on his face. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep so he decided to do some pushups and yoga. He showered. He checked his phone. 5:01am. He slipped into a clean pair of boxers and a plain black T-shirt and laid back in bed, eyes on the ceiling.

 

Lance’s story must have been mulling around in his subconscious. He wondered if that was even an accurate representation of what happened. Minus the whole… straddling him part. The dream had been so real. The thundering sound, the scream, the feel of the wound, the impact of the collapse… and before that, Lance’s skin. Keith growled in frustration and turned on his side facing the wall, burying his face in the pillow. He felt a tinge of shame at the physical reaction of his body when he thought about Lance’s skin. How could he possibly focus on that with what followed?

 

 _“It’s okay… Lance is alive and here… and you’re going to his farm with him soon…”_ he attempted to reassure himself, _“Lance is fine…”_

 

His hand was silently traveling down his torso to slip past the waistband of his boxers. “Fuck…” he groaned, rubbing his palm against his growing length.

 

He thought about Lance’s bare chest, his waist, his hips. The way his weight settled on top of him. He shuddered as he wrapped his hand around his now rigid shaft. He recalled the long, slender thighs straddling his hips. How they felt under his grasp. He let out a soft moan, pumping his hand up and down, imagining the movement of Lance’s hips. The slow and sensual rolling, the flexing of his abdominal and thigh muscles.

 

_“Doesn’t this feel good?”_

 

“Yes...” he panted to himself, stroking faster.

 

_“Keith. Look at me.”_

 

Keith imagined what he would see if he looked down between Lance’s thighs. His excitement built too quickly and he gasped as he spilled over in his hand. After the weak convulsions ended, he wiped the discharge on his now soiled boxers with a frown.

 

He checked his phone again. 5:14am.

 

Disappointment was settling in the pit of his stomach. Partially because of how quickly he finished, but the latter part of the dream had crept back to the surface of his thoughts. He buried his face back in the pillow.

 

_“This is fucked up…”_

 

He hoped Lance was sleeping soundly right now, not dwelling over a bizarre sequence of images that were entirely a creation of his unconscious mind.  

 

_“Lance is fine. Think about the garden…”_

 

He thought about the flowers and the trees, the soft glow of the lanterns and how beautiful Lance looked basking in it. He thought about their talk and the way Lance pulled his clenched hand from his hair into his, holding it. The way Lance spoke about the farm, his words painting a serene landscape that would eventually lull Keith back to sleep.

  


~*~*~*~*~

  


Keith woke again at 8:00am and decided to get up. He removed his sleep clothes and dressed in his usual black jeans, T-shirt and boots. He texted Shiro, who was already in the building, and met up with him in his office.

 

“You’re up early,” Shiro said from behind a stack of papers on his desk as he entered the room.

 

“I feel like I’m in the principal’s office.” Keith’s eyes wandered around the room curiously, taking a seat in a chair in front of the desk.

 

“Since you’ve been here, I’m sure you’ve committed some sort of infraction that we could get you for. These walls could never tame you.”

 

“Ha. Ha. What are you doing?” Keith eyed the papers strewn across the desk.

 

“Pidge asked me to help her grade some papers. Her Physics class is having their final soon, so she wanted extra time in the lab. Iverson has the flight class today, so I have spare time.”

 

“Don’t we have machines to check test papers? Or better yet, computers to take tests on?”

 

“Only when it’s a multiple choice test. This test is mostly formulas so I’m checking against her answer paper, but boy, it’s tedious. No wonder it takes her so long to grade,” Shiro chuckled. “How did you sleep?”

 

“The usual. I slept for a few hours, woke up in the middle of the night. Fell back asleep for a couple more.”

 

Shiro hummed in response, scribbling red marks on the paper in front of him.

 

Keith was hesitant, but decided to tell Shiro, “I had a nightmare.”

 

The scribbling stopped and Shiro looked up at him.

 

“What kind of nightmare?”

 

Keith spared a few details but explained, “I was with Lance, and this bright light flashed behind him, and this loud sound… He screamed, then collapsed and was unresponsive. I tried to wake him but… he didn’t wake up.”

 

Shiro set the pen down and folded his arms. He looked pensive for a moment, but his face relaxed.

 

“At least it was only a dream.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

There was a pause of silence.

 

“Lance and I took a walk last night. He told me he has nightmares of when he... died.”

 

Shiro looked to the side, “I see.”

 

“Did you see it happen?”

 

“I was with Pidge inside the base, having my own complications at the time, but… Allura told me afterwards.”

 

“Your own complications?”

 

“Visions. Evil clone body and all,” Shiro shrugged and looked back up.

 

Keith sighed heavily and deflated in the chair, “The more I hear about this mission, the worse it gets.”

 

“That’s great that he opened up to you though, considering how unwilling he seemed after it happened. I think talking about it and confronting it will help ease his mind and hopefully, get rid of the nightmares.”

 

“I’m sure you’re right,” Keith acknowledged. Shiro usually was.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. I think the dream just has me a little shaken. I am worried about Lance though… I think I may have caught a glimpse of what everybody else has been noticing.”

 

“Yeah… but now that you’re around, I think we’ll see a positive change,” Shiro said with a comforting smile. “Did you guys do anything else?”

 

“Yeah, we walked through one of the gardens he and the students planted. We talked, he updated me on his family. And... he invited me to his farm after New Year’s.”

 

“Keith, that’s wonderful!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why do you not sound more excited about this?”

 

“Honestly, because it seems too good to be true. This is something I’ve thought about for a long time, and the day I come back, he asks?”

 

“Is it so hard to believe that Lance values your company and wants to spend time with you? You have to allow yourself to feel happiness once in a while.”

 

Keith shrugged.

 

Shiro shook his head, “Well, if you won’t feel it, I’ll feel it for you. Besides. You might be surprised as to how things turn out.”

 

“...what’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“Guess you’ll have to go to the farm to find out.”

 

“I’m going, regardless. Even if things don’t work out like I’d want them to… I want to be there for him. And ya know, despite everything he’s going through, he comforted me last night, too.”

 

“He has a big heart and a lot of love to give. He needs people around worthy enough to give it to. Another reason we think you being around will be good for him.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow, “‘we’?”

 

He noticed the slight tense in Shiro’s shoulders and narrowed his gaze. “Shiro… Who is ‘we’?” he repeated firmly.

 

“Veronica,” Shiro admitted.

 

 _“She’s a huge help. It’s been a… rough year.”_ Keith recalled Lance saying.

 

“And what have you and Veronica been discussing?” he pressed.

 

“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell her how you feel about Lance. But, she told me there were many times he would talk about you or ask for you… especially during his depressive episodes. So… she may have put it in his head to ask you to come back to the farm with him. Which may have prompted his decision to come to the Garrison early. The family going to Cuba had already been planned, so it would be a perfect opportunity for you two to have a space to yourselves.”

 

“And what role in this devious plan are you playing?”

 

Shiro sat up straight, squaring his shoulders.

 

“I was to make you aware that someone you care about is in desperate need of your presence and help. Whether it be for friendship, romance or otherwise, it was important to bring you two together. Lance wanted you around. You decided to take a vacation. He needs you, and here you are.”

 

“So you decided to meddle.”

 

“I think the word ‘meddle’ implies forcing something. I think of this more as a little… push,” Shiro replied coolly.

 

Keith knew the icy glare he was currently giving didn’t intimidate Shiro, but he still wore it. Too good to be true, indeed.

 

“Don’t look at me like that, Keith. You’re going to have a good time here at the Garrison with us, and after, you’re going to spend time with someone you care about, and someone who cares about you. I think you need this just as much as Lance does. Be excited.”

 

Keith was a little miffed that Shiro and Veronica were interfering in his and Lance’s business. He didn’t like the thought of not being in control of any given situation. But his eyes softened and he sighed.

 

“Congratulations, mission commencing. But anyway... Since I’ll be leaving after New Year’s, do you think you’d be able to take off for a few days after Christmas? I wanted to go camping. The mild weather is supposed to keep up, and I could use some nature and hot spring healing,” Keith said. He was already starting to feel forgiving thinking about it.

 

“Yeah, definitely. The students have off for winter break anyway. We could get Matt to drop us off, and if they need me to come back, he can always come get us. We can use some of the Garrison’s camping gear. I still have my old stuff, but… theirs is more advanced. Like solar powered tents with electricity, heat and armor. And surprisingly comfortable bedding. It’s just a sleeping pad, but it feels like a marshmallow.”

 

“Call me old fashioned but… I feel like that takes away from the experience. A crackling fire, sleeping bags, flashlights and lanterns… that’s more my style.”

 

“The bedding’s good for my back. And I guess married life domesticated me a little bit.”

 

“Well, I still want a fire.”

 

“Deal. We can take a couple hoverbikes with us, too.”

 

“Are you sure the Garrison is cool with us just taking all this stuff for a personal trip?”

 

“We’re just borrowing it. And who’s going to tell us ‘no’?” Shiro grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trash for the dream but I shan't apologize >D
> 
> I love our boy Lance, I swear.
> 
> Yay, future camping trip! If anyone has any suggestions or something they'd like to see, let me know! 
> 
> ~*~*~*~*~
> 
> I'm on tumblr: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com
> 
> I have a Lance drawing
> 
> http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565370805/i-havent-drawn-in-a-long-time-but-i-got-some
> 
> And Keith lineart
> 
> http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565423375/keef-lineart-that-ill-finish-eventually


	6. A Sense of Normality

“I’m going to finish these papers for Pidge and do some work of my own. I’ll be available at noon. Let’s grab lunch,” Shiro said to Keith before dismissing him from his office. After breakfast, Keith found himself in the garden again. In the daylight, he could clearly see the meticulous plotting of the trees and flowers arranged in neat rows and swirling patterns along the winding path. The canopy of trees provided adequate shade, but the light shining through caught on all the brilliant colors around. Bold pink, dashing red, majestic purple, subtle gold highlights… Lance was right. It was stellar.

 

He reached the familiar clearing and took a seat on the bench. On his walk, there had only been a few stray people and a formation of jogging cadets around the perimeter but otherwise, the grounds were quiet. He read the news and weather and browsed randomly on his phone, checking in on the Blade of Marmora Network to see all activity was on schedule. He stretched his legs out lazily like a cat.

 

Keith was not used to having so much free time - what was he going to do with it? What did his friends do in their spare time? Pidge probably read. Maybe he would ask her if she had any books he could borrow. Keith could not remember the last time he picked up a book, but he always liked reading when he was younger. In the past he would have preferred nonfiction, but he could try something new, like fantasy. He wondered if Coran still had Monsters and Mana. He would have to send him a message and ask him to bring it when he comes to Earth. Lance said he and Pidge had games and movies in their hang out spot. They probably had other interesting tech or gadgets, too. Shiro still rode his hoverbike for leisure and Keith definitely planned to get a bike of his own for the same purpose. He browsed through various options for a custom bike he could have built and shipped to him by New Year’s. Who knew online shopping could be so time consuming, yet so much… fun.

 

Punctual as always, Shiro showed up exactly at noon to meet Keith in front of the cafeteria. The afternoon sun warmed the day so they sat at a picnic table outside in the courtyard. Pidge and Lance would soon join them, Pidge sliding onto the bench opposite of Shiro, and Lance next to Pidge, opposite of Keith.

 

“How’d Physics lab go?” Shiro asked, uncapping his bento box.

 

Pidge unwrapped a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her tray, “Oh, fine. Lance was kind enough to be my lab partner-”

 

“Partner? More like lab _rat_.”

 

“He is an excellent subject to test the effects of gravity with. I think we all learned a lot today. Especially Lance,” Pidge snickered before biting into her sandwich.

 

“Yeah, I’m glad you found it so amusing,” Lance groused, stabbing a fork into his salad.

 

“Jeez, Pidge. What’d you do to him?” Keith asked, ripping into a piece of jerky.

 

“We were testing Galileo’s experiment on the acceleration of falling objects. So we put Lance in the anti-gravity chamber. Then turned the gravity on. Turns out, humans fall at the same acceleration as a ping pong ball!”

 

“Wow,” Keith said flatly.

 

“Don’t let his bellyaching fool you. He was like a cat. He made some impressive landings, although he didn’t quite nail all of them so maybe a clumsy cat. You should have seen him in the air though. He was doing flips and spins, propelling himself off the walls. Not sure how someone can be so graceful, yet such a klutz, but that’s our Lance, I guess.”

 

Keith has seen Lance float in space. He has seen him in training and in battle. He has seen him swim and ice skate. He has seen Lance aerial dance on silk curtains during the Voltron Show, for mercy’s sake. Keith knew how graceful Lance could be.

 

A huff across from him caught his attention.

 

“You had fun. Don’t deny it,” Pidge adjusted her glasses.

 

“Yeah, except when you flipped the gravity switch without telling me!”

 

“We get more organic results that way!”

 

They continued to bicker, Keith turning to the side when he felt a nudge from Shiro.

 

“Is that all you have to eat?” he asked, eyeing the piece of jerky in his hand.

 

“Uh. Yeah. I just grabbed it from my bag.”

 

“You know you can get _real_ food in the cafeteria, right?”

 

“I know. Force of habit, I guess.”

 

Shiro took the cap of his bento box and flipped it, reaching into his container. “Here, try these.” He placed four sushi rolls down and slid the makeshift plate over. “Curtis made them. It’s vegetable sushi with avocado, cucumber, carrot, sweet potato and brown rice.”

 

“Curtis is still packing your lunch, huh?” Keith grinned, pinching a roll between his fingers and popping it into his mouth. “Mm, it’s good. And so… healthy. Thanks.”

 

“In my defense, Curtis _likes_ packing my lunch. He’s also a better chef than me, but hey, I’m learning.”

 

The group chattered their lunch time away, eventually parting ways to return to work. Post meal somnolence seduced Keith into a nap that would last into the late afternoon. Once he woke, he head to the Garrison gym to train until Shiro texted to meet for dinner at 7pm in the cafeteria. After showering and dressing, Keith departed from his room and into the hall.

 

“I was wondering when we’d run into each other,” a silken voice called from the side.

 

Keith stopped and turned to see James Griffin standing in one of the doorways, leaning against the frame.  

 

“I heard that the Black Paladin Keith, chosen leader of Voltron, Defender of the Universe, the prodigy himself, had returned to the Garrison,” James casually strolled out into the hallway to walk up to him, “Or is it Red Paladin? How come you guys never switched uniforms, anyway?”

 

Keith folded his arms and widened his stance, “That’s a mouthful… You keeping tabs on me?”

 

James mimed his pose, “Always gotta keep an eye on the troublemakers.”

 

They stared each other down for a tick before cracking smiles.

 

“Good to see you, Lieutenant,” Keith extended a hand. James took it and shook firmly.

 

“Actually,” he pointed to the stripes on his uniform, “It’s Lieutenant _Commander_ now.”

 

“Congratulations,” Keith saluted.

 

James returned the salute, “Thanks. So, what are you doing around these parts, cowboy?”

 

 _“See you around, space cowboy.”_ Lance’s words echoed in his mind.

 

“Needed a vacation.”

 

“And you came… here?”

 

“My friends are here.”

 

“Huh. I didn’t know you were so sentimental.”

 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Keith shrugged.

 

James stepped closer, leaving mere inches between them. His voice lowered, “There’s a lot I _do_ know about you that I’d like to reacquaint myself with...”

 

Keith felt a tingle run up his spine and he was unable to suppress a breathy sigh when James’s hand started stroking down his arm.

 

James and Keith had a bit of a complicated history. Before Voltron, Keith’s last interaction with James had resulted in a scuffle. When Voltron returned to Earth, they had worked closely together on several missions and developed a rapport with one another - but even after they returned to space to fight against Honerva, Keith still felt tension between them. That tension would later be relieved by a heated encounter in the Atlas gymnasium locker room one night after training. They both exited the showers into the changing room, covered only in towels tied around their waists, when Keith noticed James staring at him a bit too long. Their eyes met and Keith raised an eyebrow, which may have been more inviting than inquisitive, because the next thing he knew, James was in front of him. He approached Keith like a challenger, chest puffed out with a cocky smirk. His eyes smoldered, dropping down to Keith’s lips, silently asking for consent to kiss him. And Keith let him.

 

He initially attributed the decision to a momentary lapse of judgement. James’s demeanor reminded him of Lance. Or maybe he just _wanted_ that to be true. He thought about Lance’s blossoming relationship with Allura which ignited his jealousy, and he returned the kiss with fervor. In hindsight, the catalyst of his decision was regretful, but it felt good to feel wanted. After some kissing and heavy petting, Keith would drop his towel and gently nudge James to his knees. He felt selfish and a little sleazy, but in the moment, he didn’t care. James gave him an enthusiastic blow job, and was able to get himself off in the process. They dressed in silence and parted ways, going about business as usual. But Keith wanted more. A few days later, they would find each other in the shower, deep kissing with explorative touching and mutual hand jobs. More random steamy make out sessions would follow, each with increasing intensity.

 

Until finally, James begged to take him. Keith was hesitant at first. Sex was a big step, but they laid out ground rules and agreed their relationship be strictly physical. The arrangement would continue until the end of the war, up until Keith had left for the Blade. Even on the occasions Keith visited Earth, they had managed to find each other and fool around. They had spoken about relationships in an abstract way a couple times, but that was it. Keith liked James well enough, but he knew the two of them would never work beyond this. James was straight-laced, traditional, and too much of a disciplinarian. He was also popular with the ladies _and_ gentlemen; he could have anyone he wanted, but was entirely focused on his career and not interested in anything serious. In a rare moment of emotional intimacy, Keith let it slip that he was in love with someone. James made a guess of Shiro, which Keith neither confirmed or denied but he seemed to accept that as an answer and did not press.

 

The thought of Lance brought Keith back to the present, James’s hand still on his arm. Now was not the time. He was not going to risk doing anything that could sabotage the opportunity to get closer to Lance.

 

“I… can’t.”

 

James ceased his movement, “Oh?”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Hm. Alright. Well, if you ever need anything, I’m down the hall,” he gestured at his door and breezed passed Keith.

 

“Jeez, is that all you’re interested in?”

 

“I said _anything._ Although we always did get along better when we were fucking and not talking,” James waved behind him.

 

He wasn’t wrong.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Where are you guys going camping?” Pidge asked across from Shiro, idly pushing green peas around her plate with a fork.  

 

“A national park north west of here. It has natural thermal springs and plenty of hiking and rock climbing landscape,” Keith answered.

 

“I can’t wait to soak in a hot spring… and Pidge, finish your vegetables,” Shiro chided.

 

Pidge rolled her eyes and ruthlessly stabbed into a few peas, the impact springing some off her plate and sending them rolling around the table. She looked up at Shiro and smiled sweetly as she chewed. He shook his head.

 

“How long will you be gone?” Lance asked across from Keith, his tone wary.

 

“Five days. We’re leaving the day after Christmas and we’ll be back New Year’s Eve,” Keith said. He hoped his soft smile would reassure him.

 

Lance briefly returned the smile but looked down at his hands folded on the table behind his empty plate. Keith noticed a pea had rolled next to his hand. He smirked and subtlety poised his fingers to flick it. Right as the pea was airborne, Lance looked up, wincing and flailing his arms when it hit him on the cheek. Keith could not hold back a guffaw, which caught in his throat when he realized Lance had fired a pea right back at him with a focused flick, hitting him squarely between the eyes. A deadly shot for sure.

 

“Nice shot, Lance!”

 

“Pidge! Don’t encourage him!”

 

Pidge used her fork to catapult a pea across the table, pinging Shiro on the nose. He scrunched his face but they all shared a laugh.

 

“At least it’s not as messy as food goo,” Shiro chuckled, “...but seriously, stop,” he glowered pointedly at each face around the table.

 

“Okay, _Dad,_ ” Keith gibed next to him. Lance and Pidge cackled.

 

“ _Someone_ has to be the responsible one. And speaking of, I have to pick Curtis up soon so we can get to our loving home where we don’t throw food at each other.”

 

After the group said their goodnights to Shiro, Lance slithered up from behind Keith in the hallway outside the cafeteria, “Ya know… I _was_ considering not inviting you to the pad since you started a food war, but you’re lucky I’m a nice guy.”

 

“What did you have planned?”

 

“Movie night.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen Star Wars,” Pidge said as she flopped down on the couch between Keith and Lance.

 

“Pidge, tell Keith that I am very disappointed in him,” Lance stated, folding his arms.

 

“I can hear you, Lance.”

 

“Pidge, tell Keith I will continue to NOT speak to him until we _at least_ finish the original Trilogy.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, “I just never had the time. And where would I have watched it anyway? There aren’t exactly movie theaters in space.”

 

“There are intergalactic streaming services now. There is no excuse.”

 

“I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”

 

“...”

 

“They didn’t really get any of the science right but meh, it’s a classic,” Pidge shrugged.

 

“Didn’t you confuse the Milky Way and Earth’s Solar System once?” Keith smirked.

 

“I WAS JUST REALLY EXCITED THAT WE WERE ALMOST HOME, OKAY.”

 

He chuckled, “Press play.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Subsequent days would follow a similar routine, Keith becoming accustomed to his new schedule. As time passed, more people around the Garrison were aware of his presence and he was asked to participate in class activities and flight exercises. Keith was not fond of the attention at first, but the students were genuinely engaged, interested in his knowledge and experience and he was proud to take part in educating the next generation of astro explorers and defenders. He still had plenty of free time, and spent most of his evenings with Lance and Pidge.

 

“Keith, don’t take this the wrong way, but… your skin looks terrible,” Lance remarked one evening on the couch. “Hold on,” he dug into a backpack at his side and pulled out a small jar. He dabbed his fingers in a white cream and turned towards Keith, “C’mere.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow, Lance shifted closer to him and brought his cream covered fingers up. “May I?”

 

Keith nodded and sat still, Lance leaning in to smooth the cool cream on his cheeks to his chin, up to his nose and forehead. “This has aloe, cucumber and green tea in it. It’ll moisturize and calm the redness.”

 

Keith could smell the individual components now that Lance mentioned it. It smelled soothing. A small smile crept to his lips. Lance recognized it and smiled back. “You should take better care of your skin, _guapo_. It’s too nice not to. Use this every day and soon, you’ll be glowing.”

 

“Lance, let’s do face masks tomorrow,” Pidge suggested.

 

“Excellent idea! You’re in for a real treat, Ponytail.”

 

Laying in his bed that night, Keith searched the word “ _guapo_ ” which caused him to flush and wriggle like a giddy child.

 

It was small moments with Lance that had been accumulating with each passing day which Keith would lay in bed thinking about at night. They would gradually replace the anxiety and only make him more excited for the future. This was probably the closest Keith ever had to a normal life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long awaited update! Still working hard on the story so hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than later :)


	7. What Happens Under the Mistletoe...

Coran arrived in an Altean pod the morning of Christmas Eve. He greeted Keith with a powerful hug and Keith swore he felt his bones crack.

 

“Coran… too tight…” he wheezed, frantically tapping at Coran’s shoulder.

 

“Ah, right. I forgot your human bodies are so fragile,” Coran acknowledged, releasing him.

 

Keith caught his breath and sheepishly smiled, “Good to see you, Coran. Merry Christmas.”

 

“And the happiest of Christmases to you! I was glad to hear you were taking a holiday and relaxing, and I can see by your sallow skin and the dark circles around your eyes that you could really use it!”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“No worries! Just good ol’ Altean intuition!” he winked.

 

Keith later asked Shiro in private, “Coran made it sound like I look like a corpse. Do I really look that bad?”

 

Shiro hesitated, “If it makes you feel any better, you look less... rough than when you first got here.”

 

Hunk would arrive in the afternoon with his crew, including Shay and Romelle. Hunk snatched Keith up in a crushing embrace the instant he spotted him. If Keith’s ribs remained unbroken and organs intact, he would consider himself lucky.

 

In the evening, the Paladins, Coran, Romelle and Shay had gathered in Pidge’s spot.

 

“Are you guys excited about tomorrow night?” asked Hunk.

 

Preparations for the Garrison Winter Holiday party were already underway. Hunk had spent some hours of the day with his crew and the kitchen staff writing up menus and prepping food that would later be cooked and served fresh. Staff and cadets were in charge of decorations, activities and music for the festivities.

 

“Many of the cadets have gone home for winter break but we still expect a pretty decent turn out,” Shiro responded. “Essential Garrison officers and most of the faculty stayed.”

 

“It’ll be nice to let loose and have fun. We’ve all been working really hard lately,” said Lance.

 

“I’m just glad finals are over.”

 

“I’m sure your students feel the same way,” teased Shiro.

 

Pidge stuck her tongue out, “Shush. Let’s start the movie.”

 

“Is Die Hard even a Christmas movie?” Keith questioned.

 

Four sets of eyes were bearing into him. Coran, Romelle and Shay were glancing inquisitively between the other Paladins and Keith.

 

“I’m going to strangle him.”

 

“Pidge, no!” Lance moved behind the lunging girl, “Your hands are too weak!”

 

Both Pidge and Lance made a jump for Keith, tackling him onto the couch. A flurry of flailing limbs ensued but Keith found himself pinned, Pidge capturing his arms and Lance sitting on his legs.

 

“His sides! Tickle his sides!” Shiro called from the sidelines.

 

“Shiro! NO!” Keith attempted in his most threatening voice, which quickly faltered to embarrassing shrieks and giggles as he wriggled under Lance’s prodding fingers.

 

“You guys- ha! You guys… suck!” he managed between laughs and gasps.

 

“Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!” Pidge shouted.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

_Christmas Day_

 

The party started in the evening in the Garrison gymnasium. Glowing and sparkling decorations of all the winter holidays hung from the walls, tables and chairs that had been set up around the large space. There were long tables with all sorts of buffet style food and desserts, catered by the joint effort of Hunk’s team and the Garrison kitchen. Holiday tunes played in the background. It felt very much like a high school dance. The Paladins, members of the Garrison and their families and friends had all mingled in with each other. The crowd buzzed with cheerful greetings and familial harmony.

 

The Paladins had their own suite set up in the gym lounge in the back of the building where they hosted various guests and groups passing through. It was a more comfortable, intimate space with a kitchen, couches and a large table with plenty of seating. Drinks were arranged along the kitchen countertop aside trays of food and deserts.

 

Keith sat in the corner of one of the couches, sipping his drink and observing the activity around the room. Pidge and Hunk were huddled over Pidge’s laptop at the table, Coran and Romelle conversing, seated to the side. The MFE pilots had also joined the party, chatting with the other guests. Keith saw Curtis snag Shiro, dangling mistletoe over their heads and they shared a kiss. Shiro made eye contact with Keith for a brief moment and he leaned into Curtis to whisper something.

 

“What’s your poison?”

 

Keith’s attention turned to the approaching voice.

 

“Whiskey and Coke,” he replied, watching Lance flop down next to him, holding an extended arm out as to not spill his drink.

 

Lance tipped his glass towards Keith, “Tropical Bay Breeze.”

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had that.”

 

Lance moved the glass in front of Keith’s face, “Try it. It’s good.”

 

Keith tenderly took the glass and tilted it against his bottom lip. The sweet and tartness hit his tongue, followed by the delightful sting of alcohol. He handed the glass back and licked his lips.

 

“Mmm. That is good.”

 

“You want me to make you one?”

 

Keith nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

 

“C’mon,” Lance pushed himself off the couch and head for the kitchen counter. Keith gulped his drink to completion and followed, pulling a stool out to sit on the opposite side. He watched Lance gather the necessary bottles from the crowded surface to mix his drink. He pushed his sleeves up and plucked a clean glass from the side, also grabbing a cocktail shaker and scooped it full of ice. His eyes met Keith’s with a mischievous gleam, taking the coconut rum bottle and spinning it across his palm. His hand slid to the neck and he tossed the bottle up to spin in the air and caught it with the same hand. The bottle was held high and a steady stream of clear liquid poured into the mixer below. Lance set the bottle down and flipped the mixer in the air, catching it without a single drop spilled.

 

“Wow,” Keith chuckled.

 

Lance smirked, setting the mixer down and reaching for the pineapple juice. “The juice bottles are too clumsy to do tricks with,” he said as he poured. Cranberry juice next. He shook the mixer and poured the drink into the glass, sliding it across the counter to Keith. Keith caught it and raised the glass to Lance in a silent “cheers”, humming in approval as he sipped.

 

“Wanna do a shot with me?” Lance asked.

 

“Of what?”

 

“Your choice, but I’m having this cinnamon whiskey.”

 

“Pour two.”

 

Lance poured the shots and they clinked glasses. Keith audibly hissed at the burn going down his throat.

 

“Having fun?”

 

Keith shrugged - he was not a fan of the crowds or commotion associated with parties, but he enjoyed being with his friends and seeing them have a good time.

 

“Parties aren’t really my scene, but yeah, this is nice. Pour another.”

 

Lance gathered the shot glasses but before pouring, he called to Hunk, waving him over.

 

“What’s up, guys? Enjoying the party? Did you eat?” Hunk asked, pulling out a stool to sit next to Keith.

 

“Yeah, I ate a ton. Superb grub, as usual. Keith and I are doing shots. _¿Quieres?_ ” Lance asked, reaching for another shot glass from the side.

 

“Ooo, cinnamon whiskey… sounds dangerous. I’m in.”

 

Keith turned to Hunk as Lance poured, “You guys did a great job with the food, Hunk. Everything was delicious. Definitely the highlight of the party.”

 

“Aw, thanks, Keith. Drunk Keith is nicer than Sober Keith.”

 

“I’m not drunk!” _Maybe starting to feel a little tipsy… but not drunk._

 

Hunk and Lance shared a look and grinned.

 

“Here, guys,” Lance pushed the shot glasses forward.

 

Hunk raised his glass, “Merry Christmas!”

 

“Merry Christmas,” Lance and Keith repeated, the trio clinking their glasses.

 

The trio would soon turn into a quartet when Pidge joined, the group continuing to chat and take more shots. After his sixth shot, Keith could definitely feel the alcohol getting to his head. And his bladder.

 

“I’ll be right back.”

 

Keith head for the back of the lounge into a low lit hallway with two bathrooms on either side.

 

While washing his hands, he looked himself over in the mirror. His eyelids were drooping a little and there was a tinge of pink to his cheeks.

 

_“I should probably slow down…”_

 

As he exited the restroom, Lance was standing by the entrance of the hallway. Keith nodded to him as he went to walk past, but Lance put a hand up to stop him.

 

“Ahem. Are you just going to ignore the Laws of Christmas?” he pointed to the mistletoe hanging above them.

 

_“Didn’t even notice that… Probably Shiro’s idea…”_

 

He was already flushed, but no doubt he was positively red now, “Uh…”

 

“Always the rebel. C’mere,” Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders and pulled him close, planting an obnoxiously loud, wet kiss on his cheek. “Merry Christmas, Mullet,” he hummed in his ear.

 

The lowness of his voice and his hot breath made Keith shudder and he could not stop the tiniest of whimpers that escaped his lips. He felt the arm around his shoulders tense but Lance did not move away. He started to slowly turn his head, his warm cheek brushing against Lance’s, who was also turning. The corners of their lips met, and they both paused. But Keith felt the corner of Lance’s mouth rise in a grin, and he continued. Their lips slid against each other, barely touching. Lance’s lidded gaze was steady and his hand was gently grasping Keith’s shoulder. He continued to ghost his lips over until Keith’s lower lip dropped and Lance captured it between his own, closing his eyes.

 

Keith inhaled sharply through his nose, practically melting into Lance upon exhaling. He turned to fully face the taller boy, his hand coming up to hold his bicep for support. Lance keened into the kiss, the firm press of his lips setting Keith’s whole body on fire. His entire universe was honed in on Lance’s soft lips moving sensually against his as if in slow motion. A hand met Keith’s waist and slid around to his lower back to pull him closer, Lance breathing out a moan as their bodies connected. Keith’s hand on Lance’s bicep slid up to his shoulder then to the side of his neck, his thumb stroking the flesh there that he longed to kiss and suck and bite...

 

“Get a room,” a voice said from behind them.

 

The pair startled and pushed apart.

 

“Jesus, Pidge... you scared the hell out of us…” Lance gasped, clutching at his chest.

 

Keith ran his fingers through his hair and peeked out into the lounge, wondering if anyone else saw them. No one seemed to be looking in their direction.

 

Pidge walked forward from the other bathroom with a smirk, “Sorry to interrupt. Have fun, you two,” she winked and kept walking.

 

They watched until she reached the lounge and their eyes met again. They stared at each other for a moment but Lance could not prevent a nervous giggle from bubbling into a guffaw. Keith could not help but join in.

 

After the laughter subsided, Keith was feeling bold.

 

“Do you… wanna go back to my room?” he ventured.

 

Lance’s mouth twisted in his famous crooked, cocky grin, “Hell yeah. Lemme just use the little boy’s room… I’ll meet you there?”

 

Keith nodded. He watched Lance enter one of the bathrooms and turned to walk back out into the lounge. As he made it through the threshold, he almost slammed right into a stern faced Griffin who stepped in his path.

 

“So you can’t hook up with me, but then you’re making out with Lance?”

 

_Shit. Where did he even come from?_

 

“Keep your voice down!” Keith hissed. He quickly stepped to the side and glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on them.

 

“Did you get bored of me?”

 

“That’s not it.”

 

“Then what is it?” James folded his arms.

 

“It’s Lance.”

 

A pause. “What about him?”

 

“It’s... always been Lance.”

 

James blinked, but his eyes widened in clarity.

 

“Really?”

 

Keith nodded solemnly.

 

“Not Shiro?”

 

Keith shook his head, “Technically, I never said it _was_ Shiro.”

 

James looked thoughtful. “Lance, huh… I wouldn’t take him for your type.”

 

Keith let out an awkward laugh, “I guess I wouldn’t either, but that was before I got to know him.”

 

“Fair enough. He’s a good guy. Overcompensates a little, but nonetheless. A good guy.”

 

“Yeah. He is.”

 

James’s body relaxed, “Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of true love. You’ve been waiting for a long time.”

 

“It’s felt like an eternity, honestly.”

 

James chuckled and clapped Keith on the shoulder, “I’m happy for you. Go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My oh my, what are our boys getting up to? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> I love cheesy romantic tropes, fight me.
> 
> (cheers to those who got the Simpsons reference :P )
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr! http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/
> 
> Lance art I did: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565370805/i-havent-drawn-in-a-long-time-but-i-got-some
> 
> Keith lineart: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565423375/keef-lineart-that-ill-finish-eventually


	8. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start getting hot and heavy...........
> 
> Whew, this chapter was fun to write and I worked really hard on it. Hope ya'll enjoy!

After successfully sneaking out of the party with little incident, Keith made it to his room. His heart was pounding and his nerves were buzzing with excitement.

 

But after twenty minutes or so of waiting, dread settled in the pit of his stomach and he started to pace.

 

What if Lance didn’t show up? What if their kiss was just a drunken fluke and he already came to his senses and regretted it? What if he overheard the conversation with Griffin which made him have second thoughts?

 

_“Is it so hard to believe that Lance values your company and wants to spend time with you?”_

 

He recalled Shiro’s words and shook his head to dismiss the negative thoughts.

 

A knock was heard. Keith’s heart nearly burst out of his chest to answer the door itself. Upon opening, Lance was standing there cradling water pouches in his arms.

 

“Hey. I brought some water to help us combat dehydration on account of drinking and… possibly other things,” he grinned.

 

“Good idea,” Keith stepped aside to allow Lance entry to the room.

 

“Sorry for taking so long. I also had to stop by the room. I know we all agreed on no gifts but, I have something for you.”

 

He set aside the water pouches on a shelf and fished into the pocket of his jeans.

 

“Open your hand.”

 

Keith did and felt the weight of something small and metallic drop into his palm. Nestled there was a pin which at first appeared to be an aviator badge, but his eyes widened when he realized it was not just any wings - it was the wings of Voltron.

 

“I had two custom made. Hunk drew up the design and I found a metal worker here at the Garrison to make them. I have the other one since, well… we formed the wings of Voltron together.”

 

Keith’s mouth hung slightly agape as he stared at the pin, apparently for too long because a poke to his cheek had to bring him out of his wonderment.

 

“Spaced out, cowboy?”

 

He laughed sheepishly, “Y-yeah...”

 

“I know it’s not much but-“

 

“No, Lance- God, I’m sorry, thank you. This is amazing.”

 

Lance beamed as Keith held the pin between his fingers and marveled at the intricate detail and craftsmanship. He stepped to where his flight jacket was hanging from a hook on the wall and pinned it above the breast pocket, admiring it once more for a moment. When he turned, Lance’s arms were open. Keith felt like a force was wrangling him right in, encircling his arms around the taller boy’s waist. Long, wiry limbs wrapped around his shoulders, a chin resting in the crook of his neck. Keith savored the hug, breathing deep to take in Lance’s scent. He smelled sweet like coconut but with a deeper, darker hint of sandalwood and musk that left him feeling far more intoxicated than any alcohol he imbibed.

 

“Thank you so much,” he mumbled into his shoulder.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

The hug lingered for a few ticks longer before Lance pulled back and brought a hand to Keith’s cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb, “Now, where were we?”

 

He did not miss a beat and tugged a dazed Keith into a heated kiss, falling into a familiar rhythm like their lips never parted. A daring tongue ran along Keith’s bottom lip, coaxing his mouth open and he felt it slide against his own tongue. Molten heat flowed like lava across Keith’s lower belly, an aching pulse between his legs. His hips instinctively jerked forward, but ebbed upon meeting an equally solid bulge at the apex of Lance’s thighs. But Lance wanted to crack open his reserved exterior, firmly grasping his hips to grind back. The throaty groan from Keith incentivized Lance to grip his backside to meld their bodies together. Keith was like putty in Lance’s skilled hands. But first, he had to confirm…

 

He withdrew to come up for air, but also to ask, “Do you… want this?” with lowered eyes, a single string of doubt still remaining taut.

 

“You can’t tell?” Lance pushed his hips forward again.

 

Oh, Keith could _definitely_ tell.

 

But Lance dropped the humor and touched their foreheads together, “I do want this. And not because we were drinking,” he assured, as if he could read Keith’s demur.

 

Keith swallowed thickly, “You don’t think this is weird?”

 

Lance chuckled, swirling tresses of ebony hair around his fingers, “Only if you make it weird. Do _you_ want this?”

 

Their eyes met and Keith was instantly submerged into the blue ocean of the sincere gaze staring back. The string of doubt was severed and the only way he felt he could properly convey that he wanted this _oh so very_ badly was to pull Lance right back into a kiss like he was the air he needed to breathe.

 

Keith found himself being gently guided backwards until his calves hit the edge of the bed. His knees gave out and his butt bounced heavily onto the mattress, Lance climbing on top to straddle his lap. Keith’s hands ran up Lance’s thighs to his hips, under his shirt to touch the bare skin of his sides. Lance felt like warm silk beneath his calloused fingers, impossibly soft over lean muscle and Keith was already addicted. Lance released an approving moan and drew back to reveal his caramel skin in full, discarding his shirt to the side. Eager lips met again and Keith’s hands roamed Lance’s torso, his short nails gently scraping down his back.

 

“Mmm, I like that,” Lance purred, “take off your shirt.”

 

Keith didn’t need to be told twice, removing his shirt in one swift motion. Lance leaned back, his eyes and hands exploring his pale shoulders, moving to his strong chest and stomach.

 

“Damn, Keith…” he breathed.

 

“What?”

 

Lance raised his eyebrow, “‘What?’ You have a body like _this_ and you ask ‘What?’ Do you not realize how fucking hot you are?”

 

Keith shrugged. He made sure to keep in shape, but didn’t spend much time contemplating his attractiveness.

 

“I guess it’s just never been said to me like that.”

 

Lance shook his head, “Well _that_ is a damn shame. But I am thrilled to be the one to tell you - you are extremely sexy. That being said, I want to feel more of you.”

 

He hooked his fingers onto the waistband of Keith’s jeans, fiddling with the fly but Keith grabbed his wrists, “Wait.”

 

Lance paused, his features marred with concern, “Sorry, I thought-“

 

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just… want to take things slow.”

 

Lance nodded and brought a hand to his cheek, the other settling on his hip, “Of course. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

 

Keith keened into Lance’s touch, “I do want to, um, do more with you. Eventually. But I want to do it right.”

 

“Aw. You want to court me?”

 

The blush that rose to his cheeks made Lance giggle. “You’re adorable. Such a gentleman,” he planted a kiss on his forehead.

 

Keith smirked. With a surge of confidence, he wrapped a sturdy arm around Lance, who yelped when he was suddenly lifted and turned. His back hit the mattress and Keith crawled on top.

 

“ _That_ being said…” he lowered himself to lay along Lance’s body, “I still want to continue.”

 

It was Lance’s turn to be flustered, “You absolute tease. You’re going to drive me crazy.”

 

He bowed his face in closer, feathering his lips against Lance’s, “That’s a short trip. But there’s plenty we can do… and I have to entice you into coming back for more, don’t I?”

 

Lance actually growled and seized the raven hair on the back of Keith’s head, yanking him into an aggressive kiss. Skin slid against skin and Lance’s hands on any and all parts of his body he could reach incited Keith to rut between Lance’s legs and grind his hips down. The friction was delicious and he stroked in a steady rhythm to the sounds of heavy pants and moans. Keith’s mouth moved from Lance’s lips to his jawline, kissing down to his neck which he grazed with bared teeth.

 

“Mark me…” Lance heaved, to which Keith gladly indulged, biting down. He sucked various purple bruises into the tender flesh, lapping at his work with his tongue.  

 

“Fffffffuuuuuuck,” Lance bucked his hips up in sync, increasing the pressure where their loins were connected.

 

Keith’s groan vibrated against Lance’s throat. He shifted up and their lips met again in a sloppy kiss. “You like that, pretty boy?” he asked around Lance’s mouth.

 

“Fuck, Keith… you keep this up, I’m gonna…”

 

“I want you to.”

 

Lance could only whimper in response as Keith kept up the motion, drawing back to watch his face. Some rough stokes later and Lance reached his climax, as promised. With a sharp arch of his back, gasps and whines spilled from his mouth and it was like music to Keith’s ears. A beautiful sight to behold, and it excited Keith into his own orgasm.

 

He shuddered and crumpled forward to kiss Lance deeply, brushing strands of sweat laden hair from his forehead. Lance hummed contentedly and Keith could feel the smile against his lips. He rolled off to lay on his side, Lance moving to face him.

 

“I wish you weren’t leaving tomorrow…” Lance murmured.

 

“I won’t be gone long. And when I come back, we’ll be going to the farm together.”

 

“Did you really like the gift?”

 

“Absolutely… one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.”

 

Lance smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

 

When their lips parted, Keith wanted to tell him.

 

“Lance, I…”

 

But he stopped himself. This was still new and Lance was vulnerable. He didn’t want to drop a confession then leave. He would tell him when the time was right.

 

_Not yet._

 

“I would love it if you stayed with me tonight.”

 

“I’d like that. Besides, I don’t think I could manage to walk all the way back to my room... I should clean myself up though.”

 

Keith chuckled and kissed him again. He pushed himself up and off the bed and walked to his drawers, grabbing two pairs of clean shorts.

 

“Here,” passing the shorts to Lance who was wobbling on his way to the bathroom.

 

They took turns cleaning up and changing and when Keith exited the bathroom, Lance was holding a water pouch for him.

 

“I’m sure you could use this. You probably lost a lot of fluid. I know I did,” he winked.

 

Keith accepted the water pouch gratefully with a coy smile.

 

“Cocky Keith is hot but Bashful Keith… _que lindo_ ,” Lance pecked a kiss on Keith’s pink cheek.

 

It was past midnight so they returned to the bed, settling under the covers. Their legs tangled together as they laid in comfortable silence with soft gazes and tender touches, eventually drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

 

At 6am, the alarm startled Keith awake. He tried to silence it as quickly as possible so he would not disturb Lance, who seemed none the wiser as he was still fast asleep curled into his side. But when Keith broke the contact and moved to slide off the edge of the bed, he stirred.

 

“Keith…” he croaked with an outreached hand.

 

Keith crouched at the side of the bed, “Hey.” He leaned over to kiss the top of his head and smooth his mussed hair, “I’m gonna get ready to leave. I’ll leave the key to the room on the shelf. Go back to sleep.”

 

Lance lurched forward to grab the back of Keith’s neck and pulled him into a kiss.

 

“Have a good trip, samurai. I’ll miss you,” his head flopped back on the pillow, instantly falling back to sleep.

 

Keith smiled fondly, stroking his hair. He envied Lance’s ability to sleep so soundly. Maybe it was contagious, because Keith was able to get more hours of straight sleep than he usually did.

 

After getting dressed, he grabbed his packed duffle bag and donned his flight jacket, looking back at the sleeping figure in his bed once more before heading out. Shiro and Matt were waiting on one of the runways by a small ship Matt would be flying to take them to their destination.

 

“We’re all loaded up. You ready?” Shiro asked as Keith approached.

 

Keith nodded, “Ready.”

 

Taking off, Keith watched the Garrison get smaller and smaller as they climbed in altitude. Last night was certainly a surprise, but a very happy one. He smirked to himself at how cliché his first kiss with Lance was under the mistletoe, but it was perfect - just like the subsequent activities that would eventually lead to Lance being under him, writhing and moaning in pleasure in his bed. Keith planned to do much more of that when he got back. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, touching the pin on his chest.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Lance had dreamed about Keith leaving. But once his drowsiness started to wear off, he realized it hadn’t been a dream.

 

That didn’t stop him from reaching to the other side of the bed in hopes of finding a sleeping Keith next to him. It was in vain. His bleary eyes fluttered open, immediately focusing on the vague indent of a body in the crumples of the sheets.

 

He knew Keith was leaving. Why did he have to kiss him when he knew he’d be leaving _the very next day?_

 

He should have waited until New Year’s. At least Keith would still been here. He could have woken up beside him and wouldn’t be feeling so.... empty.

 

Anxiety started to rise and he felt a tightness clench in his chest.

 

_“Deep breathes. Focus.”_

 

In.

 

Out.

 

_“He’s coming back. He’ll be back in five days.”_

 

In.

 

Out.

 

_“And when he comes back, we’ll be going to the farm together and pick up where we left off.”_

 

He buried his face in the pillow and inhaled deeply. It smelled like Keith. The tightness eased as his heart rate evened out.

 

_“We held each other through the night.”_

 

Slow breath in through the nose.

 

_“I got a goodbye kiss.”_

 

Slow breath out through the mouth.

 

Veronica had taught him mindfulness and techniques to ward off panic attacks. She had seen Lance at his worst and was always there to ground him, to listen with compassion and empathy. He loved all his siblings, but his relationship with Veronica was special. She knew everything about Lance and all he had been through. He trusted her with his life. His secrets were kept safe with her - including his feelings for Keith, which she helped him come to terms with.

 

“You’ve been interested in him for a long time, even in your early Garrison days,” she had said. “You always followed in his footsteps and that continued when you guys were together in space. Your little one sided rivalry seemed to stem from you just wanting his attention,” she smirked with a knowing pointed eyebrow.

 

Lance scoffed, “Yeah… and he didn’t play into it. He just seemed confused.”

 

“Sounds to me like he was willing to work with you and be your friend.”

 

“And I was a jerk.”

 

“Eh, yeah, a little bit, but you got over it and became a great team. Seeing you two interact and work together, he trusts and relies on you. He values you.”

 

To that, Lance smiled.

 

“Explains why you were so opposed to setting up a date for me with him. _Cabrón codicioso,_ you wanted him all to yourself!” she punched his arm playfully.

 

They shared a laugh.

 

“Yeah um, I guess you’re right. Was that… wrong? Because I was with Allura?”

 

She pondered for a moment, “No, I don’t think it was wrong. To be fair, you didn’t know how things were gonna go with Allura considering… well, everything.”

 

Lance nodded pensively.

 

“And it’s absolutely possible to feel for more than one person. You loved Allura and gave her everything you had. My only concern was that it wasn’t fully reciprocated.”

 

Lance furrowed his brows and his shoulders tensed. Veronica noticed and gently rubbed his back.

 

“I mean no offense, Lance. I have no doubt in my mind that she loved you, and honestly, how could she not?” ruffling his hair. He swatted her away.

 

“But, protective big sister mode took over and I watched you two. I know she had a lot on her mind: The war. Honerva. Lotor. Still dealing with losing her family and planet. Thinking she was the last of her race then suddenly discovering she wasn’t. And I know the Alteans not speaking to her was devastating. But you stood by her every step of the way with nothing but support and love. I was just worried that it was unbalanced. You needed support and love too and… I didn’t see you getting enough of that. It was as if you were losing yourself in her.”

 

Lance sighed, “I didn’t want to screw it up. I just wanted to be good enough for her. And I’m not sure I ever felt like I was.”

 

They both sat in silence for a moment.

 

“You know. The only time she told me she loved me was at the very end when she was leaving to sacrifice herself.”

 

Veronica reached over to take Lance’s hand. She squeezed and he squeezed back.

 

“But Keith…” he continued, the corners of his mouth lifting to break his frown, “He had my back. He always made me feel better when I was feeling insecure. He never doubted my abilities or made me question my worth. He listened to me. He even encouraged me on my first date with Allura. And even though we all... think? The game show was a dream, or just an extremely realistic shared hallucination, when we were told we had to choose someone to leave while everyone else would be stuck there forever… He chose me. I mean, he _said_ it was because he didn’t want to be stuck there for eternity with me, but-”

 

“Bullshit.”

 

“Heh, well, words have never been Keith’s strong suit. He’s a man of action. Plus, he was put on the spot. Anyway… He could have chosen himself. But he didn’t. I wasn’t a second choice. I was his first choice. It felt good to be someone’s first choice.”

 

“And he was _your_ first choice. If that isn’t love, _manito_ , I don’t know what is. Ever think about inviting him to the farm?”

 

Reflecting on Veronica’s words, Lance’s anxiety subsided. His fingers idly roved across the empty space next to him. Instead of sadness, he felt buoyant. Hopeful. One day, soon, he _would_ wake up next to Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaas, get it boys!!!!
> 
> This has been told from Keith's perspective thus far but I wanted to introduce and start exploring Lance's. 
> 
> I know in basically every klance fic, Keith calls Lance "pretty boy" but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ you know what? FUCK. ME. UP. WITH. THAT. SHIT.
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not a native Spanish speaker, but I consulted with my Spanish speaking friends for translations - if anything is incorrect, please let me know!
> 
> I'm on Tumblr: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/
> 
> Lance art I did: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565370805/i-havent-drawn-in-a-long-time-but-i-got-some
> 
> Keith lineart I did: http://shes-x-electric.tumblr.com/post/181565423375/keef-lineart-that-ill-finish-eventually


	9. With A Little Help From My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys receive love advice.
> 
> And angst.

Under the edge of a mountain ridge laid a vast expanse of deep green forest. The pale light from the rising sun caught on the very tops of the trees and the wisps of gossamer clouds in the gradient pastel sky. There was a river along the western edge of the forest that drained into a lake to the north, the shimmering surface of the water reflecting the background of rugged mountains. A crisp breeze rustled through the trees and Keith’s hair. He attentively surveyed the scenery from a ledge, relishing in the sights, sounds and smells of the raw nature that surrounded him.

 

“Are you gonna help me set up?” called Shiro from behind. Keith gazed out for a few seconds longer before turning and walking back.

 

“Was just admiring the view. This spot is perfect,” Keith said, approaching the clearing they chose for camp.

 

Shiro was fiddling with a dome shaped pod on the ground, “See anything interesting?”

 

“I could see the hot springs to the northeast. I can’t wait to-”

 

A loud metal _clang!_ reverberated off the rocks when Shiro brought his hand down to strike the top of the pod.

 

“You alright there?” Keith asked, the tiniest bit amused.

 

“This button on the top should set the tent frame up but it-” _Clang._ “Won’t-” _Clang._ “Open!” _Clang._

 

Shiro stood up, sighing dejectedly and kicked the pod. The pod suddenly burst open and the sides collapsed, thrusting out long metal poles. The men jumped back as the skeleton of the tent came together, shutters descending from the top to form the sides.

 

He blinked, “Alright then… Grab that bag, we just need to put the tarp and solar panels on and set up the inside.”

 

Rolling out the floor padding to cover the ground, Shiro spoke, “So…”

 

 _Here it comes._ Keith knew the conversation was inevitable.

 

“How was your night?”

 

“Fine.”

 

Keith could practically hear Shiro’s eyeroll, “Nice pin.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Where’d you get it?”

 

They both stood after finishing the flooring, Keith folding his arms looking at Shiro who mimicked his uptight pose with a smirk.

 

“Lance.”

 

“Uh huh. And…?”

 

“And what?”

 

“Come on, Keith. You’re gonna be stuck with me for a few days out here. You might as well tell me what happened.”

 

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled, “Was the mistletoe your idea?”

 

Shiro’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, “Did it work?”

 

“Yeah. It did.”

 

He whooped and clapped his hands together, “Yes!”

 

“You’re embarrassing,” Keith laughed, covering his heated face with a hand.

 

“Oh, please. This is exciting! So go on, tell me,” Shiro gestured.

 

Past the age of 30 yet here Keith was, feeling like a teenager being interrogated for juicy gossip about his crush.

 

“Pushy, too,” he folded his arms again. “We just went back to my room, he gave me the pin as a gift and after that we erm, fooled around a little.”

 

Shiro piqued a suggestive eyebrow in interest.

 

“Nothing too far! Pants stayed on. We just kissed, and uh, touched…”

 

 _Christ,_ he felt awkward.

 

“He stayed the night. It was... nice.”

 

Seemingly satisfied with the abridged version, Shiro nodded, “That is nice. I’m happy for you.”

 

Keith shrugged, “Don’t get too excited. It’s just the beginning and only physical so far.”

 

“Yeah well, I know Lance and he may talk big, but he wouldn’t do anything physical with someone he doesn’t have an emotional connection with, unlike… others.”

 

Keith shot him a glare.

 

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if both parties consent to that sort of arrangement. I’m just saying, that’s not how Lance operates. And I know _you_ want so much more than that with him. The signs are good.”

 

“I’m just being realistic, Shiro. I want him to know I’m serious, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself, read something wrong and mess it up. I want to do everything right. It’s important to me that I do this right.”

 

The former captain put his metal hand on Keith’s shoulder, the weight as heavy as his next words, “I know, and I’m confident you will. Just be yourself and show and tell him how you feel. I know Lance will really appreciate it, and it’ll be good for you, too. _‘Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid of standing still.’_ You won’t lose by loving. You’ll lose by holding back.”

 

It sounded like conventional wisdom, but Keith’s taciturn nature had often interfered with his ability to properly express himself, or even the desire to do so. Communication was a skill he was constantly working on and the regret of not keeping in better contact, especially with Lance, was still gnawing away. He didn’t want to come off too strong, but the person he loved deserved his best efforts and he wanted to show him how important he was. Even if he made mistakes, as he undoubtedly would, he wanted Lance to have no question in his mind of how much he was cared for and valued.

 

“Your confidence means a lot, so thank you. And I’m not afraid,” a smile tugged at the corner of Keith’s mouth.

 

“Of course not. You’re not afraid of anything,” Shiro smirked. “You’ve been fearless since I met you. Sure, you had some disciplinary issues back then, but I’m proud to have seen you grow into who you are now. You’re a good man, Keith.”

 

“You sound like such a cornball dad,” Keith chuckled. “I picked up most things from you, ya know. You’ve always been my hero.”

 

“You’re a hero too, Keith. Remember that. The universe is a better place because of you.”

 

Keith still didn’t think of himself as much of a hero, and standing before someone he considered a _true_ hero made him shift uncomfortably. He was grateful for the awards and distinctions he received on Earth and around the universe, but the novelty quickly wore off from all the attention and expectations. Since the end of the war, the Paladins had gained significant notoriety, even being treated like celebrities in some circles. Relief efforts with the Blade kept Keith out of the spotlight and on the ground, where he preferred to be. As far as Keith was concerned, he was always doing what was necessary, not for glory or prestige. His work was its own reward.

 

He decided to change the subject to something that had been in the back of his mind and would take the focus off of him.

 

“So, speaking of dads... how’s the adoption going? You haven’t mentioned it since I’ve been back.”

 

Shiro’s posture deflated, his arm slipping from Keith’s shoulder, “Well. The agency still seems to be concerned about the PTSD and my arm... I’ve submitted medical paperwork with clearance but they’re taking their time. It’s been weeks since we’ve heard anything.”

 

“I can’t believe a legend like you is having trouble adopting. I’m sorry, Shiro.”

 

“Ah, just gotta trust the process, I guess,” Shiro laughed bitterly.  

 

Keith hesitated, “How are the flashbacks?”

 

“The medication helps. I don’t have them as much, and if I do, I’ve been able to control my symptoms. Curtis has been a huge help. He’s been nothing but supportive but I know he’s hurting in his own way. It’s been really hard on both of us and... I can’t help but worry that my issues are getting in the way of his happiness of having a child.”

 

“Don’t think like that. He loves you and knows you’re amazing. That’s why he wants to raise a family with you.”

 

Shiro’s eyes dropped to the ground and Keith could recognize the inner turmoil, but he looked up with a soft smile, “C’mon. Let’s go riding. I’ll race ya to the lake.”

 

Keith nodded. Nothing like a good ride to clear the mind.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The controller tumbled out of Lance’s hand to his side as he let out an exasperated groan. This would be Pidge’s _thirteenth_ victory of the night. He had asked her to play video games because it was a good distraction from the anxiety thrumming through his nerves, but his mind and muscles were restless, evident through his bouncing legs and inability to focus. It had been about 16 hours since Keith left the Garrison, but he had not left Lance’s head at all. The entirety of last night, from the party to Keith’s bedroom, was on a loop. He was analyzing every move and detail.

 

_“...I want to do it right.”_

 

Did Keith’s words mean what Lance had assumed? Or did he want to take it slow because he was weirded out by what was happening? What if Keith came back from his trip changed?

 

 _“I don’t have time for this, Lance!” -_ The words from Keith’s return after his leave from Voltron still stung like hot needles in his chest.

 

He was secretly relieved Hunk and Shiro weren’t around. Their absence allowed him to lay low for the day and gather his thoughts. Pidge was giving him space and not asking any questions so hanging out with her was easy. The prospect of being totally alone was too daunting and Lance was grateful for her quiet company.

 

Lance had seen Hunk off in the morning as he left to go to his parent’s house. The hiked up collar of his jacket hid his neck, the skin still stained with bruises left there by the ardent mouth of a gorgeous half-human, half-Galra. His current… love interest? Could he even call him that? When Hunk returned, he would have to tell him, right? Surely his old friend would be able to sense something was up.

 

Did Shiro know anything? One of Keith’s talents was keeping a stoic, unreadable demeanor and if he was taking a trip with anyone else, it would be of no concern. But Shiro was a powerful empath who knew Keith particularly well. And Keith trusted Shiro. What would he tell him?

 

For a moment, Lance found himself wishing he could talk to Allura. It admittedly felt strange, but he missed her friendship and insight. What would she think about a potential budding romance with Keith? Would she give her blessing?

 

The thoughts swirled together in a whirlwind, doubt clouding hope and chaos threatening to breach the threshold. A weight settled in Lance’s stomach and spiders crawled through his veins. His pulse quickened and throat burned, his chest about ready to cave in on itself.

 

_“Breathe.”_

 

He closed his eyes.

 

In.

 

Out.

 

“Jeez, Lance, you’re really off your game tonight,” Pidge remarked.

 

He grunted in response, barely listening.

 

“Stop moping, your boyfriend will be back soon.”

 

That caught his attention. His eyes flew open.

 

“What?! He’s not-! I-! We-!“ he spluttered.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Tell it to those hickies on your neck. And I’ve never seen you wear those shorts before. Would they happen to be… Keith’s?” she grinned.

 

Lance folded his arms and harrumphed, sinking low into the couch, “Can’t a guy just have an off day?”

 

“Sure but… we both know there’s more to it than that. Wanna talk about what’s bothering you?”

 

Lance stayed silent.

 

“If you don’t stop pouting, I’m gonna call Veronica.“

 

Lance snorted but his brooding features withered. He hadn’t told Veronica anything yet.

 

“Pidge?” he asked, his voice small and meek.

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you think this means anything to Keith?”

 

“I’m not Keith so I can’t answer that. Why don’t you ask him?”

 

“Because I’d feel pathetic.”

 

“Well, ask yourself this as someone who knows Keith: Do you think he’s the type of person to take advantage of someone? Especially someone who he’s built a solid friendship with?”

 

“No...”

 

“Alright then.”

 

“I think I also feel kinda… guilty.”

 

“About?”

 

“Why does this feel like I’m being disloyal to Allura?”

 

“Lance, that’s silly.”

 

He stared forward, his brows coming together in worry.

 

Pidge sighed and set her controller down, shifting to turn towards him.

 

“Look. I know you miss her. I do too. We all do. But frankly, pining over her memory like this is… not good for you,” she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully.

 

Flighty blue eyes met steady hazel, but were unable to hold the contact.

 

“It’s just. I’m always reminded of her,” his fingers grazed lightly over the teal markings at the crest of his cheeks. “And when I think about moving on, I feel like I can’t. Or shouldn't. Like I need her approval.”

 

“Maybe you should talk to Shiro about this when he comes back. He knows what you’re going through. And look at how happy he is with Curtis now. Do you think he should have denied himself that?”

 

“No.”

 

“Correct. And neither should you. There’s still plenty of life ahead and you are allowed to move on. The rest of the universe certainly will. Don’t waste your energy dwelling in the past when you could be using it to build a better future.”

 

Lance sighed, “I know you’re right.”

 

“Duh. I’m always right.”

 

Lance scoffed but a warm smile formed on his lips.

 

Pidge’s grinning face turned serious, “Now pick up that controller and get your head in the game! I need a challenge, not a half assed performance!”

 

Predictably, Lance’s competitive side could not resist and with a cockeyed grin, he grabbed his controller and leaned forward with focus.

 

“Bring it on.”

 

Pidge would remain the champion of the night, but Lance managed to snatch a few wins inspired by what he could consider as personal small victories:

 

_“...when I come back, we’ll be going to the farm together.”_

 

_“...one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.”_

 

_“I would love it if you stayed with me tonight.”_

 

And even small victories were worth celebrating.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had wanted to have this out waaaaaay sooner, but things have been crazy 😵
> 
>  
> 
> Hope most of ya'll are still around!

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea immediately after season 8 and I had to get it out. I hope to get the next chapter out sooner than later. I have a lot of plans for these two!
> 
> (Lyrics at beginning of chapter are from Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body)


End file.
